THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


SHANTINIKETAN 

THE    BOLPUR    SCHOOL    OF 
RABINDRANATH  TAGORE 


•The 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

VKW  YORK   •    BOSTON    •    CHICAGO  •    DALLAS 
ATLANTA   •    SAN   FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  Limited 

LONDON  •  BOMBAY  •  CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 

THE  MACMILLAN  CO.  OF  CANADA,  Ltd„ 

TORONTO 


SHANTINIKETAN 

THE 
BOLPUR   SCHOOL 

OF 

RABINDRANATH  TAGORE 

BY 

W.  W.  PEARSON 


ILLUSTRATED  BY 
MUKUL  CHANDRA  DEY 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

1916 

All  Rights  Reser-ued 


Copyright  1916 
By  the  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

Set  up  and  eletrolyped.  Published  November  1916. 


fK 

111? 

TiZ  Z  r^ 


TO 
JADAV 


^fi(^^^r'^ 


CONTENTS 

The  Shantiniketan  School  Song  ...  13 

Introduction  by  Rabindranath  Tagore         .  17 

Shantiniketan  by  W.  W.  Pearson        ...  27 

The  Gift  to  the  Guru       81 


SHANTINIKETAN 

THE    BOLPUR    SCHOOL    OF 
RABINDRANATH  TAGORE 


uiaiiiii.i    iiiiiiMWiiiiiiiM 


'  '»tVj: 


'«i 


The  Shantiniketan  School  Song 
by  rabindranath  tagore 

Translated  from  the  original  Bengali  by  the  author 

She   is  our  own,   the  darling   of  our  hearts,   the 

Shantiniketan. 
Our  dreams  are  rocked  in  her  arms. 
Her  face  is  a  fresh  wonder  of  love  everytime  we  see 

her, 
For  she  is  our  own,  the  darling  of  our  heart. 

In  the  shadows  of  her  trees  we  meet. 
In  the  freedom  of  her  open  sky. 
Her  mornings  come  and  her  evenings 
Bringing  down  heaven  s  kisses. 
Making  us  feel  anew  that  she  is  our  own,   the 
darling  of  our  heart. 


The  stillness  of  her  shades  is  stirred  by  the  wood- 
land whisper; 

Her  amlaki  groves  are  aquiver  with  the  rapture  of 
leaves. 

She  dwells  in  us  and  around  us  however  far  we 
may  wander. 

She  weaves  our  hearts  in  a  song  making  us  07ie  in 
music, 

Tuning  our  strings  of  love  with  her  own  fingers, 

And  we  ever  remember  that  she  is  our  own,  the 
darling  of  our  heart. 


SHANTINIKETAN 

INTRODUCTION  BY 
RABINDRANATH  TAGORE 


.-.7!- 


■%^ 


INTRODUCTION 

RABINDRANATH  TAGORE 

The  greatest  teachers  in  ancient  India,  whose 
names  are  still  remembered,  were  forest  dwellers. 
By  the  shady  border  of  some  sacred  river  or 
Himalayan  lake  they  built  their  altar  of  fire, 
grazed  their  cattle,  harvested  wild  rice  and  fruits 
for  their  food,  lived  with  their  wives  and  children 
in  the  bosom  of  primeval  nature,  meditated 
upon  the  deepest  problems  of  the  soul  and  made 
it  their  object  of  life  to  grow  in  sympathy 
with  all  creation  and  in  communion  with  the 
Supreme  Being.  There  students  flocked  round 
them  and  had  their  lessons  of  immortal  life  in 
the  atmosphere  of  truth,  peace  and  freedom  of 
the   spirit. 


i8  SHANTINIKETAN 

Though  in  later  ages  circumstances  changed 
and  numerous  kingdoms,  great  and  small, 
flourished  in  wealth  and  power,  and  forests 
began  to  give  way  to  towns  with  multiplication 
of  luxuries  in  the  homes  of  the  rich,  the  highest 
ideals  of  civilization  in  our  country  ever  re- 
mained the  ideals  of  those  forest  sanctuaries. 
All  our  great  classic  poets  in  their  epic  verses 
and  dramas  looked  back  with  reverence  upon 
that  golden  daybreak  of  the  awakenment  of 
India's  soul. 

In  the  modern  time  my  turn  has  also  come  to 
dream  of  that  age  towering  above  all  ages  of  the 
subsequent  history  in  the  greatness  of  its  sim- 
plicity and  wisdom  of  pure  life.  While  spending 
a  great  part  of  my  youth  in  the  riverside  solitude 
of  the  sandbanks  of  the  Padma  a  time  came 
when  I  woke  up  to  the  call  of  the  spirit  of  my 
country  and  felt  impelled  to  dedicate  my  life  in 
furthering  the  purpose  that  lies  in  the  heart  of  her 
history.  I  seemed  choked  for  breath  in  the  hide- 
ous nightmare  of  our  present  time,  meaningless 


/ 


SHANTINIKETAN  19 

in  its  petty  ambitions  of  poverty,  and  felt 
in  me  the  struggle  of  my  motherland  for  awaken- 
ing in  spiritual  emancipation.  Our  endeavours 
after  political  agitation  seemed  to  me  unreal  to 
the  core  and  pitifully  feeble  in  their  utter  help- 
lessness. I  felt  that  it  is  a  blessing  of  providence 
that  begging  should  be  an  unprofitable  profes- 
sion and  that  only  he  who  hath  to  him  shall  be 
given.  I  said  to  myself  that  we  must  seek  for 
our  own  inheritance  and  with  it  buy  our  true 
place  in  the  world. 

Then  came  to  me  a  vision  of  the  fulness  of  the 
inner  man  which  was  attained  in  India  in  the 
solemn  seclusion  of  her  forests  when  the  rest  of 
the  world  was  hardly  awake.  The  truth  became 
clear  to  me  that  India  had  cut  her  path  and 
broadened  it  for  ages,  the  path  that  leads  to  a 
life  reaching  beyond  death,  rising  high  above 
the  idealisation  of  the  political  selfishness  and 
insatiable  lust  for  accumulation  of  materials. 
The  voice  came  to  me  in  the  Vedic  tongue  from 
the  ashrams,  the  forest  sanctuaries  of  the  past, 


20  SHANTINIKETAN 

with  the  call — ''Come  to  me  as  the  rivers  to  the 
sea,  as  the  days  and  nights  to  the  completion  of 
their  annual  cycle.  Let  our  taking  and  impart- 
ing truth  be  full  of  the  radiance  of  light.  Let  us 
never  come  into  conflict  with  one  another.  Let 
our  minds  speed  towards  their  supreme  good." 

My  heart  responded  to  that  call  and  I  deter- 
mined to  do  what  I  could  to  bring  to  the  surface, 
for  our  daily  use  and  purification  the  stream  of 
ideals  that  originated  in  the  summit  of  our  past, 
flowing  underground  in  the  depth  of  India's 
soil,^ — the  ideals  of  simplicity  of  life,  clarity  of 
spiritual  vision,  purity  of  heart,  harmony  with 
the  universe,  and  consciousness  of  the  infinite 
personality  in  all  creation. 

I  knew  that  the  lessons  of  the  modern  schools 
and  the  tendencies  of  the  present  time  were 
aggressively  antagonistic  to  these  ideals,  but 
also  I  was  certain  that  the  ancient  teachers  of 
India  were  true  when  they  said  with  a  positive 
assurance: — "It  is  an  absolute  death  to  depart 


SHANTINIKETAN  21 

from  this  life  without  reahsing  the  Eternal 
Truth  of  life." 

Thus  the  exclusiveness  of  my  literary  life 
burst  its  barriers  coming  into  touch  with  the 
deeper  aspirations  of  my  country  lying  hidden 
in  her  heart.  I  came  to  live  in  the  Shantini- 
ketan  sanctuary  founded  by  my  father  and 
there  gradually  gathered  round  me,  under  the 
shades  of  sal  trees,  boys  from  distant  homes. 

This  was  the  time  when  Satish  Chandra  Roy, 
the  author  of  the  following  little  story,  felt 
attracted  to  me  and  to  my  ideas  and  devoted 
himself  to  building  up  of  the  ashram  and  serving 
the  boys  with  living  food  from  the  fulness  of 
his  life.  He  was  barely  nineteen,  but  he  was 
born  with  a  luminosity  of  soul.  In  him  the 
spirit  of  renunciation  was  a  natural  product  of 
an  extraordinary  capacity  for  enjoyment  of 
life.  All  his  student  days  he  had  been  struggling 
with  poverty— and  yet  he  cheerfully  gave  up  all 
chances  of  worldly  prospects  when  they  were 
near  at  hand  and  took  his  place  in  the  ashram 


22  SHANTINIKETAN 

because  it  was  truly  his  by  right.  He  would 
have  needed  no  recommendation  from  me,  but 
unfortunately  he  died  young  before  he  had  time 
to  fulfil  his  promise,  leaving  the  record  of  his 
greatness  only  in  the  memory  of  his  friends. 

I  cannot  but  conclude  this  preface  of  mine  with 
an  extract  from  my  lecture  about  Shantiniketan 
where  I  have  described  his  connection  with  the 
ashram. 

"Fortunately  for  me,  Satish  Chandra  Roy,  a 
young  student  of  great  promise,  who  was  getting 
ready  for  his  B.  A.  degree,  became  attracted 
to  my  school  and  devoted  his  life  to  carry  out 
my  idea.  He  was  barely  nineteen  but  he  had  a 
wonderful  soul,  living  in  a  world  of  ideas,  keenly 
responsive  to  all  that  was  beautiful  and  great  in 
the  realm  of  nature  and  of  human  mind.  He 
was  a  poet  who  would  surely  have  taken  his 
place  among  the  immortals  of  the  world-litera- 
ture if  he  had  lived,  but  he  died  when  he  was 
twenty,  thus  offering  his  service  to  our  school 
only  for  the  period   of  one  short  year.     With 


SHANTINIKETAN  23 

him  boys  never  felt  that  they  were  confined  in 
the  hmits  of  a  teaching  class,  they  seemed  to 
have  their  access  to  everywhere.  They  would 
go  with  him  to  the  forest  when  in  the  spring  the 
sal  trees  were  in  full  blossom,  and  he  would  recite 
to  them  his  favourite  poems,  frenzied  with  ex- 
citement. He  used  to  read  to  them  Shakespeare 
and  even  Browning — for  he  was  a  great  lover  of 
Browning — explaining  to  them  in  Bengali  with 
his  wonderful  power  of  expression.  He  never 
had  any  feeling  of  distrust  for  the  boys'  capacity 
of  understanding;  he  would  talk  and  read  to 
them  about  whatever  was  the  subject  in  which 
he  himself  was  interested.  He  knew  that  it 
was  not  at  all  necessary  for  the  boys  to  under- 
stand literally  and  accurately  but  that  their 
minds  should  be  roused,  and  in  this  he  was 
always  successful.  He  was  not  like  other  teach- 
ers, a  mere  vehicle  of  text  books.  He  made  his 
teaching  personal,  he  himself  was  the  source  of 
it,  and  therefore  it  was  made  of  life  stuff  easily 
assimilable  by  the  living  human  nature.     The 


24  SHANTINIKETAN 

real  reason  of  his  successes  was  his  intense  in- 
terest in  Hfe,  in  ideas,  in  everything  around 
him,  in  the  boys  who  came  in  contact  with  him. 
He  had  his  inspiration  not  through  the  medium 
of  books  but  through  the  direct  communication 
of  his  sensitive  mind  with  the  world.  The  sea- 
sons had  upon  him  the  same  effect  as  they  had 
upon  the  plants.  He  seemed  to  feel  in  his 
blood  the  unseen  messages  of  nature  that  are 
always  travelling  through  space,  floating  in  the 
air,  shimmering  in  the  leaves,  tingling  in  the 
roots  of  the  grass  under  the  earth.  The  litera- 
ture that  he  studied  had  not  the  least  smell  of 
the  library  about  it.  He  had  the  power  to  see 
ideas  before  him,  as  he  could  see  his  friends,  with 
all  the  distinctness  of  form  and  subtlety  of  life." 


SHANTINIKETAN 

BY 

W.  W.    PEARSON 


SHANTINIKETAN 


W.    W.    PEARSON 


The  author  of  the  story  that  follows  was  so 
intimately  connected  with  the  life  of  Rabin- 
dranath  Tagore's  school  at  Shantiniketan,  Bol- 
pur,  that  in  order  to  understand  the  spirit  of  the 
story  which  was  written  for  the  boys  of  the 
ashram  and  was  told  them  as  they  sat  under  the 
trees  in  the  moonlight,  a  short  account  of  the 
School  itself  seems  a  fitting  introduction. 

As  our  first  impressions  of  a  place  are  often 
the  truest  I  will  begin  by  an  account  of  my 
first  visit  to  Bolpur  in  1912. 


28  SHANTINIKETAN 

Bolpur  is  situated  about  a  hundred  miles 
from  Calcutta  so  that  the  School  is  remote  from 
the  distractions  of  town  life,  and  yet  within  easy 
reach  of  the  stimulating  activities  of  an  in- 
tellectual centre.  When  I  arrived  at  the  sta- 
tion it  was  just  sunset,  the  time  picturesquely 
called  in  Bengal,  the  "cow  dust"  time,  for  it  is 
then  that  the  cattle  are  driven  from  the  fields, 
and  the  sun  sets  behind  a  golden  mist  raised  by 
the  cows  as  they  slowly  make  their  way  across 
the  dusty  fields.  I  was  met  by  one  of  the 
masters  and  four  of  the  older  boys  who  took  all 
my  luggage  from  the  carriage  and  carried  it  to 
the  cart  which  was  waiting  outside  the  station. 
They  welcomed  me  very  warmly  because  I  had 
just  returned  from  England,  where  I  had  seen 
their  Guru,  and  as  we  drove  slowly  along  in  the 
bullock  cart  our  talk  was  chiefly  about  him. 
As  we  approached  the  School,  which  stands  on 
high  ground,  so  that  the  lights  shine  out  over  the 
surrounding  country,  one  or  two  remarks,  such 
as   "That  is  one  of  his  favourite  walks"   and 


SHANTINIKETAN  29 

"Under  those  trees  he  often  walks  on  moonUght 
nights,"  gave  me  the  feeUng  that  I  was  a  pilgrim 
visiting  the  shrine  of  a  saint  rather  than  a  visitor 
to  a  School.  We  became  silent  then,  and  no  one 
spoke  again  till  we  reached  the  balcony  of  the 
guest  house.  There  I  was  told  the  poet  had 
written  many  of  his  songs.  The  evening  star 
had  just  risen  and  a  crescent  moon  was  shedding 
its  faint  light  over  the  tops  of  the  trees  with 
which  the  school  is  surrounded.  Two  of  the 
boys  went  with  me  onto  the  roof  and  after  sing- 
ing one  of  the  poet's  songs,  left  me  to  spend  a 
quiet  evening  with  the  master  who  had  met  me  at 
the  station.  He  helped  me  to  realize  the  true 
spirit  of  the  place,  for  he  had  been  one  of  the 
five  boys  who  had  read  in  the  school  when  it 
was  first  started.  After  a  College  course  in 
America  he  had  come  back  to  devote  his  life  to 
the  service  of  the  School  to  which  he  owed  so 
much.  We  talked  on  about  the  ideals  with 
which  the  poet  had  started  the  School.  The 
sound  of  the  boys'  voices,  as  they  came  back  from 


30 


SH ANTINI KETAN 


THE    POETS    UPPER    ROOM 

their   evening    meal    to   their   dormitories,    had 

ceased,   when  in    the   stillness  there    arose    the 

sound  of  singing.     It  was  a  group  of  boys  who, 

every  evening  before  they  retire    to    bed,    sing 

one     of  the     poet's     songs.      Gradually     they 

approached    the    house  where  we    were    sitting, 

and    as    they  turned  away,  the  sound  receded, 

getting  fainter  and    fainter    until    it    died    out 

altogether.    Then  silence  descended  like  shadows 

on  a  starlit  hill,  and    I    realised   why  the  name 
*'Shantiniketan"   had  been  given   to  the  place. 

A  House  of  Peace,  it  certainly  was. 


SHANTINIKETAN 


31 


In  the  morning  before  sunrise,  the  band  of 
young  choristers  wakened  the  sleeping  school 
boys  to  the  work  of  the  day  by  another  song. 

After  an  early  walk  to  a  neighbouring  village, 
where  some  of  the  older  students  conduct  a 
night  school  for  the  boys  of  the  Santal  aboriginal 
tribes  who  are  to  be  found  scattered  about  in 
the  neighborhood,  I  attended  service  in  the 
temple,  a  building  open  to  the  light  and  air  on 
all  sides.  As  I  entered,  the  boys  in  their  col- 
oured  shawls  were   seated,   some  on  the   steps 


THE    SAL    AVENUE 


32  SHANTINIKETAN 

outside,  and  some  on  the  white  marble  floor  In 
an  attitude  of  meditation.  After  an  opening 
prayer  in  BengaH,  the  boys,  all  together,  chanted 
a  Sanskrit  verse,  ending  with  the  words, 

"Om,  Shanti,  Shanti,  Shanti."  "Om  Peace,  Peace 
Peace." 

To  hear  for  the  first  time  a  Sanskrit  prayer 
chanted  by  the  boys  of  Bolpur  is  an  experience 
not  easily  to  be  forgotten.  I  wish  it  were 
possible  to  preserve  the  freshness  of  one's  first 
impressions,  for  then  the  very  sound  of  the 
prayer  would  be  a  constant  and  never  failing 
inspiration.  I  cannot  describe  the  thrill  which 
I  felt  as  I  listened  to  that  ascending  chant 
filling  the  fresh  morning  air  with  its  solemn 
notes  of  youthful  aspiration. 

In  the  temple  there  is  no  image  and  no  altar, 
for  the  Maharshi  Devendranath  Tagore  who 
founded  the  ashram,  declared  that  in  Shantini- 
ketan  no  image  was  to  be  worshipped  and  no 


SHANTINIKETAN  33 

abuse  of  any  religious  faith  was  to  be  allowed. 
There  "the  one  invisible  God  is  to  be  wor- 
shipped, and  such  instructions  are  to  be  given 
as  are  consistent  with  the  worship,  the  praise, 
and  the  contemplation  of  the  Creator  and 
Maintainer  of  the  world,  and  as  are  productive 
of  good  morals,  religious  life,  and  universal 
brotherhood." 

The  service  was  short,  consisting  only  of  the 
prayers  and  an  address  given  by  one  of  the 
teachers,  but  it  was  most  impressive  and  devo- 
tional in  spirit.  The  clear  sunlight  streamed 
through  the  screen  of  trees  which  surround  the 
temple,  and  outside  one  could  hear  the  chirping 
of  birds,  and  distant  cooing  of  doves. 

Dupng  the  day  I  came  to  know  others  of  the 
teachers,  and  listened  to  some  of  the  boys 
singing,  for  the  poet's  songs  occupy  a  large  part 
of  the  school  life.  The  influence  of  Mr.  Dinen- 
dranath  Tagore,  a  nephew  of  the  poet's,  who 
teaches  the  boys  the  new  songs  as  they  are 
composed    by    the    poet,    is  one  the  effect  of 


34  SHANTINIKETAN 

which  cannot  be  measured.  To  be  able  to 
spread  the  spirit  of  song  is  a  great  gift,  but  when 
together  with  it  one  is  able  to  spread  the  ideals 
of  a  great  spiritual  teacher  then  the  gift  is  one 
precious  beyond  words. 

In  the  evening  as  it  was  a  moonlight  night,  we 
went  out,  boys  and  teachers  as  well,  to  a  wood 
about  a  mile  away  from  the  School.  We  sat 
in  a  circle  under  the  trees  and  the  boys  sang. 
One  of  the  teachers  told  a  story,  and  I  told  them 
about  my  meeting  with  the  poet  in  London. 
Then  we  walked  back  across  the  open  country 
which  lay  still  and  quiet  under  the  spell  of  the 
Indian  moonlight. 

The  morning  I  left  there  was  a  farewell 
ceremony  according  to  the  ancient  Hindu  cus- 
tom when  a  guest  leaves  an  ashram  for  the 
outer  world.  I  was  garlanded  and  a  handful  of 
rose  petals,  together  with  some  grains  of  paddy 
and  some  grass,  symbolic  of  the  plenitude  and 
fruitfulness  of  life,  was  offered  to  me,  and  at  the 
same  time  one  of  the  teachers  pronounced  over 


SHANTINIKETAN  35 

me  the  blessing  which  is  found  in  the  Sanskrit 
"Sakuntala"  and  which  has  been  translated  by 
the  poet,  "Pleasant  be  thy  path  with  intervals 
of  cool  lakes  green  with  the  spreading  leaves  of 
lotus,  and  with  the  shady  trees  tempering  the 
glare  and  heat  of  the  sun — let  its  dust  be  gentle 
for  you  even  like  the  pollen  of  flowers  borne  by 
the  calm  and  friendly  breeze — let  your  path  be 
auspicious." 

That  I  felt  was  my  dedication  to  the  service 
of  the  ashram,  and  as  I  left  for  the  station  I 
knew  that  my  life  work  lay  in  trying  to  help  to 
realise  the  ideals  for  which  the  ashram  stood. 
There  I  knew  was  an  atmosphere  in  which  self- 
realisation  was  possible  and  a  place  where  I 
could  feel  the  throbbing  heart  of  Bengal,  the 
land  of  poetry  and  imagination. 

Since  then  I  have  lived  in  the  ashram,  I  have 
got  to  know  the  boys  and  the  teachers  as  my 
friends  for  life,  I  have  felt,  even  when  my  own 
spirit  has  been  dull  and  I  have  not  been  able  to 
feel   the   same   inspiration   as   I   hear  the   boys 


36  SHANTINIKETAN 

chanting  in  the  early  morning  or  at  sunset,  that 
Shantiniketan  is  truly  an  Abode  of  Peace, 

Now  that  I  am  away  from  the  ashram  for  a 
time  my  thoughts  constantly  turn  back  to  it, 
and  I  know  that  under  that  wide  and  starry  sky, 
wandering  across  the  open  heath  which  stretches 
to  the  horizon  on  all  sides  so  that  one  feels  as  if 
standing  on  the  roof  of  the  world,  there  is  peace 
to  be  found  for  the  restless  spirit  of  man.  On 
nights  when  the  full  moon  sheds  a  flood  of  white 
peace  upon  the  landscape  one  can  walk  for  miles 
across  open  country  with  nothing  to  obstruct 
the  view  except  here  and  there  a  neat  Santal 
village  surrounded  by  its  few  cultivated  fields, 
and  on  the  distant  line  of  the  horizon  a  group  of 
tall  palm  trees  standing  like  the  warning  fore- 
fingers of  the  guardian  spirits  of  the  place,  raised 
against  all  thoughtless  curiosity  of  outside  in- 
trusions. As  one  lives  in  this  ashram  and  ab- 
sorbs the  spirit  of  its  founder,  one  feels  that  its 
stillness  and  peace  are  but  the  reflection  of  the 
tranquility  which  filled  the  mind  of  the  Maharshi 


■mmiimtmmMmmtit. 


BOYS    AT    AN     EXAMINATION 


THE  SMALL   BOY  S  DORMITORIES 


SHANTINIKETAN  39 

Devendranath  and  is  so  marked  a  characteristic 
of  the  poet.  In  the  evenings  and  early  morn- 
ings, just  at  sunset  and  sunrise,  when  the  school 
bell  has  called  the  boys  to  their  silent  worship, 
a  silence  strangely  still  and  beautiful  seems  to 
surround  the  place;  and  in  the  early  hours  of  the 
morning,  long  before  the  peep  of  light  in  the 
east,  the  stillness  is  so  intense  that  it  seems  as  if 
time  has  held  its  breath  in  the  expectation  of  the 
daily  wonder  of  the  sunrise. 

Does  it  seem  as  if  this  ashram  were  too  remote 
and  monastic  for  the  training  of  boys  who,  when 
they  leave  school,  have  to  struggle  in  the  modern 
world  ?  Can  we  not  say  rather,  that  perhaps 
here  they  may  acquire  what  the  modern  world 
most  needs,  that  wealth  of  mind's  tranquility 
which  is  required  to  give  life  its  balance  when 
it  has  to  march  to  its  goal  through  the  crowd  of 
distractions?  Whatever  may  be  the  practical 
outcome  of  this  experiment  in  education,  which 
strives  to  combine  the  best  traditions  of  the  old 
Hindu   system  of  teaching  with  the  healthiest 


40  SHANTINIKETAN 

aspects  of  modern  methods,  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  the  ideal  is  a  high  one.  Let  me  tell 
more  of  what  these  ideals  are  and  how  the  boys 
and  teachers  of  the  school  strive  to  carry  them 
into  practice. 

Shantiniketan  was  originally  a  bare  spot  in 
the  middle  of  open  country,  and  was  notorious 
for  being  the  haunt  of  dacoits.  It  was  to  this 
spot  that  Maharshi  Devendranath  came  on  one 
of  his  journeys,  and  he  was  so  deeply  attracted 
to  the  place  that  he  pitched  his  tent  under  three 
trees,  which  were  the  only  trees  then  to  be  seen 
there,  and  for  weeks  at  a  time  would  live  there 
spending  his  time  in  meditation  and  prayer. 
These  trees  are  still  to  be  seen,  with  the  wide 
open  plain  stretching  out  before  them  to  the 
Western  horizon,  and  on  the  marble  slab  which 
marks  the  place  of  his  meditation  can  be  seen 
the  words  which  filled  his  mind  as  the  Maharshi 
meditated  upon  God. 

"He  is  the  repose  of  my  life 
the  joy  of  my  heart, 
the  peace  of  my  spirit." 


\ 


SHANTINIKETAN  43 

It  is  under  these  trees  that  the  boys  sometimes 
meet  when  they  commemorate  the  Hfe  of  the 
Maharshi,  or  others  whose  lives  have  bound 
them  close  to  the  heart  of  the  ashram.  I  re- 
member the  last  meeting  which  I  attended  there. 
It  was  early  morning  and  the  boys  were  all 
seated  in  the  shade  of  the  trees  which  were  a 
mass  of  white  blossom  overhead.  The  bright 
colours  of  their  shawls  as  the  sunlight  fell 
through  the  interlacing  branches  contrasted 
with  the  white  flowers  above  them,  and  in  per- 
fect silence  they  waited  for  the  service  to  begin. 
This  custom  of  holding  meetings  out  of  doors 
is  characteristic  of  the  school,  where  all  the 
classes  are  held  under  the  trees  or  in  the  veran- 
dahs, excepting  during  the  Rains.  The  boys 
often  organise  some  entertainment  in  the  even- 
ings, some  circus  performance  or  small  play 
composed  by  the  boys  themselves,  to  which  the 
masters  are  invited.  Just  before  I  left  for 
America  the  smaller  boys  had  discovered  the 
existence  of  an  imaginary  hero  named  Ladam, 


44  SHANTINIKETAN 

and  for  several  days  the  history  of  Ladam  occu- 
pied their  minds.  Pictures  were  drawn  of  his 
exploits,  his  heroic  deeds,  some  of  them  by  no 
means  exemplary,  were  staged  for  the  benefit 
of  their  teachers,  and  every  tree  and  hillock  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  small  boys'  dormitories 
was  made  the  scene  of  Ladam's  fights  and  vic- 
tories. I  was  shown  an  ant  hill  and  was  told 
that  it  was  the  fortress  of  Ladam,  and  that  the 
ants  were  his  disciples  and  followers.  Since 
my  last  acquaintance  of  him,  whether  Ladam 
has  come  to  an  end  of  his  career  of  reckless  and 
inconsequential  adventures,  I  know  not,  but  as 
long  as  he  lived  his  friends  and  discoverers  were 
never  tired  of  telling  of  his  deeds  and  describing 
with  the  minutest  details  his  appearance  and 
character.  Perhaps  his  ghost  still  haunts  the 
corners  of  the  dormitory  and  the  shadow- 
chequered  path  of  the  Sal  avenue. 

This  characteristic  of  one  side  of  the  school 
life  is  vital  to  the  ideals  with  which  the  school 
was  started.     Education  consists,  not  in  giving 


S  H  A  N  1^  I  N  1  K  E  T  A  N  45 

information  which  the  boys  will  forget  as  soon 
as  they  conveniently  can  without  danger  of 
faiUng  in  their  examinations,  but  in  allowing 
the  boys  to  develop  their  own  characters  in  the 
way  which  is  natural  to  them.  The  younger  the 
boys  are  the  more  original  they  show  themselves 
to  be.  It  is  only  when  the  shadow  of  a  Uni- 
versity examination  begins  to  loom  over  them 
that  they  lose  their  natural  freshness  and  orig- 
inality, and  become  candidates  for  matricul- 
ation. When  the  small  boys  take  up  an 
idea  and  try  to  put  it  into  practice  then  there  is 
always  a  freshness  about  it  which  is  spontaneous 
and  full  of  the  joy  of  real  creation.  To  see  them 
give  a  circus  performance  would  delight  the 
heart  of  any  man  who  had  not  become  abso- 
lutely blase. 

This  ideal  of  allowing  the  boys  to  develop 
their  own  characters  as  much  as  possible  is  seen 
in  another  institution  of  the  school,  namely  the 
Courts  constituted  by  the  boys  for  the  punish- 
ment of  minor  offences  against  the  laws  which 


46  SHANTINIKETAN 

the  boys  themselves  formulate.  Most  of  the 
discipline  of  the  school  is  managed  by  these 
courts,  and  although  there  are  doubtless  cases  of 
miscarriage  of  justice,  there  is  no  complaint 
amongst  the  boys  about  the  judgments  pro- 
nounced against  offenders.  In  this  case  as  in 
others,  self-government  is  better  than  good 
government.  The  committees  which  the  boys 
form  are  intended  to  deal  with  all  the  aspects  of 
the  school  life  in  which  the  boys  are  themselves 
vitally  interested.  On  one  occasion  the  boys 
agreed  to  carry  on  all  the  menial  work  of  the 
school,  cooking  and  washing  up,  drawing  the 
water  and  buying  the  stores,  with  the  help  of  the 
teachers.  And  although  the  experiment  was 
only  found  practicable  for  about  a  month,  during 
that  time  there  were  no  servants  employed  to  do 
any  of  this  heavy  work,  and  many  of  the  boys 
worked  like  Trojans  without  complaint  even 
though  it  was  the  very  hottest  time  of  the  year. 
There  are  several  magazines  published  month- 
ly by  the  different  sections  of  the  school,  most 


SHANTINIKETAN  47 

of  them  in  Bengali,  which  contain  stories,  poems 
and  essays  written  by  the  boys.  These  are 
illustrated  by  those  of  them  who  show  signs  of 
artistic  ability.  Though  these  magazines  some- 
times languish,  and  often  do  not  appear  for 
months  together,  they  quicken  into  life  when  the 
anniversary  of  their  birth  comes  round,  and 
then  a  grand  celebration  takes  place.  One  of 
the  dormitories  is  taken  possession  of  for  the  oc- 
casion, and  decorated  with  the  green  branches  of 
trees,  and  if  it  happens  to  be  the  season  of  lotuses, 
a  profusion  of  lotus  buds  and  blossoms  fills  the 
meeting  place.  One  of  the  teachers  is  elected 
to  be  the  chairman  for  the  evening,  and  a  special 
seat  of  honour  is  prepared  for  him.  Over  his 
head  there  hang,  like  the  sword  of  Damocles, 
ropes  of  flowers,  so  that  he  looks  like  a  queen  of 
the  May,  and  round  his  neck  hang  garlands  as 
though  he  were  a  lamb  prepared  for  the  sacri- 
fice. The  various  committees  of  management  of 
these  different  periodicals  vie  with  each  other, 
not  so  much  in  the  quality  of  their  contributions, 


48  SHANTINIKETAN 

as   in   the   beauty  of  the   decorations   and   the 
garlands  which  are  prepared  in  honour  of  these 
occasions  of  birthday  celebration.     Sometimes  if 
the  anniversary  happens  to  fall  during  the  hot 
weather,   light   refreshments   are   served   at  the 
close  of  the  meeting,  generally  in  the  shape  of 
iced  sherbet.     The  meeting  itself  consists  of  a 
report  of  the  year's  progress  by  the  editor,  and 
the  reading  of  stories,  poems  and  essays  by  the 
contributors.     Sometimes   pictures  which   have 
been   given   for   illustration   are   exhibited,   and 
afterwards  the  chairman  or  the  poet  himself,  if 
he  is  present,  will  criticise  the  writings  which 
have  been  read,  suggesting  in  what  way  they 
might  be  improved.     In  certain  cases  there  is  a 
competition,  either  for  the  best  picture  or  the 
best  story.     In  this  way  the  boys  are  encour- 
aged to  think  and  write  for  themselves,  and  one 
or  two  of  those  who  have  illustrated  these  manu- 
script magazines  have  proved  to  be  artists  of 
real  ability. 

Occasionally  excursions  will  be  planned,  either 
for  the  day  for  the  whole  school,  or  for  several 


SHANTINIKETAN  49 

days  to  some  place  of  historical  interest  in  which 
case  only  a  few  selected  boys  will  go  accompanied 
by  two  or  three  of  the  teachers.  In  the  former 
case  we  go  to  some  place  within  easy  reach  of  the 
ashram,  and  taking  our  food  with  us  cook  it  by 
the  side  of  a  river  or  under  the  trees  in  a  wood. 
The  whole  day  is  spent  in  the  open  air,  and 
singing  and  games  form  the  chief  part  of  the 
program  though  stories  are  also  told  by  some  of 
the  teachers.  On  moonlight  nights,  especially, 
many  of  the  boys  go  out  for  long  walks  with  the 
teachers,  and  in  this  way  the  bond  between  the 
masters  and  the  pupils  becomes  deep  and  strong. 
The  teachers  live  in  the  dormitories  with  the 
boys,  and  are  able  therefore  to  help  them  in  their 
work  and  share  with  them  their  daily  life. 

Football  is  the  most  popular  form  of  sport  in 
the  school,  and  as  there  is  plenty  of  space  round 
the  buildings,  there  is  enough  ground  for  several 
football  fields,  so  that  the  boys  of  all  ages  can 
have  their  own  games.  Walking  is  not  so  popu- 
lar,  except  when,   in   the   rainy  season   sudden 


50  SHANTINIKETAN 

storms  of  rain  come  deluging  the  surrounding 
country.  Then  the  boys  dehght  in  going  out 
into  the  midst  of  the  heaviest  deluge  and  getting 
thoroughly  wet.  Classes  are  stopped  when 
these  heavy  storms  come  on,  and  keen  delight  is 
shown  by  the  boys  when  they  see  that  a  dark 
and  threatening  sky  offers  them  the  chance  of  a 
cooling  shower  bath. 

The  following  facts  may  be  of  interest  to  those 
who  wish  to  know  the  more  practical  details  of 
the  working  of  the  School. 

At  present  there  are  about  150  boys  in  the 
ashram,  some  of  whom  come  from  other  parts 
of  India,  though  the  majority  are  from  Bengal. 
There  are  about  twenty  teachers,  some  living 
with  their  families,  resident  in  the  School.  The 
age  of  the  boys  ranges  from  six  to  17  or  18,  the 
younger  ones  being  under  the  charge  of  special 
teachers.  These  younger  boys  often  take  their 
meals  in  the  homes  of  the  married  teachers,  the 
wife  of  one  of  them,  for  example,  having  under- 
taken to  look  after  ten  boys  who  come  to  her 


SHANTINIKETAN  51 

house  for  all  their  meals  for  a  week,  allowing 
another  ten  to  take  their  turn. 

The  boys  are  of  all  castes  and  it  is  expressly 
stated  when  they  are  admitted  that  they  are 
to  be  allowed  to  exercise  their  own  discretion  in 
the  matter  of  the  observation  or  non-observa- 
tion of  caste  distinctions.  Serving  at  the  meals 
is  undertaken  by  all  the  boys  in  turn  which 
lightens  the  burden  of  the  kitchen  service. 

The  fees  charged  are  the  same  for  all  the  boys, 
though  in  certain  cases  poor  students  are  al- 
lowed free.  Each  pupil  is  charged  $']  per  month 
for  tuition,  board  and  lodging,  so  that  the  yearly 
expense  to  the  parent  is  less  than  ^100.  But 
this  does  not  represent  the  actual  expense,  as 
there  is  a  large  yearly  deficit  which  has,  up  to 
the  present,  been  met  by  the  founder  of  the 
School. 

One  of  the  reasons  which  makes  it  impossible 
to  make  the  School  a  self-supporting  institution 
is  that  the  number  of  teachers  has  to  be  so  large 
in  proportion  to  the  number  of  students  in  order 


52  SHANTINIKETAN 

to  ensure  small  classes  and  individual  attention. 

To  the  Western  eye  the  outward  aspect  of  the 
School  would  suggest  poverty,  but  this  is  due  to 
the  ideal  which  has  always  been  followed  in 
India  wherever  true  education  has  been  the  end 
and  purpose  in  view.  The  emphasis  on  efficient 
and  expensive  equipment  which  is  a  charac- 
teristic feature  of  institutions  of  learning  in  the 
West  has  never  been  accepted  in  India  where 
simplicity  of  living  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most 
important  factors  in  true  education. 

The  utmost  simplicity  is  found  in  all  the  build- 
ings which  are  used  by  the  boys  for  their  own 
daily  life.  The  dormitories  are  merely  thatched 
cottages,  and  it  is  intended  to  keep  them  simple 
though  the  present  thatched  roofs  will  have  to 
be  changed  for  a  less  inflammable  material  as 
soon  as  funds  are  available,  as  the  possibility  of  a 
fire  which  would  spread  to  all  the  dormitories  is 
a  source  of  constant  anxiety. 

We  are  hoping  to  erect  a  new  building  for  a 
Hospital,  as  we  have  not  proper  accommodation 


SHANTINIKETAN  53 

for  our  sick  boys  or  suitable  quarters  for  the 
segregation  of  infectious  cases.  Such  a  hospital, 
when  properly  endowed,  would  provide  medical 
help  for  the  poor  of  the  neighbouring  villages. 
Several  interesting  collections  of  curios  from 
different  parts  of  the  world  have  been  presented 
to  the  School,  and  we  intend  to  add  a  Museum 
as  an  addition  to  the  present  library  building  as 
soon  as  funds  are  forthcoming. 

The  daily  routine  of  the  School  is  as  follows: 
The  boys  are  awakened  before  sunrise  by  the 
singing  of  one  of  the  poet's  songs  by  a  band  of 
singers.  As  soon  as  they  get  up  they  go  to  their 
morning  bath  which  they  take  by  the  wells 
which  have  been  sunk  in  different  parts  of  the 
grounds.  After  their  bath  they  have  fifteen 
minutes  set  apart  for  silent  worship.  The  boys 
sit  out  under  the  trees  or  on  the  open  fields  in 
the  early  morning  light  and  then  come  together 
to  chant  the  Sanskrit  verses  selected  from  the 
Upanishads  by  Maharshi  Debendranath  Tagore. 


54  SHANTINIKETAN 

After  some  light  food  the  classes  begin  at 
about  seven  o'clock.  There  are  no  classrooms, 
so  the  classes  are  held  in  the  open  air  or  on  the 
verandahs  of  the  buildings. 

After  a  meal  at  1 1 130,  during  the  heat  of  the 
day  the  boys  stay  in  their  rooms  and  work  at 
their  lessons,  the  teachers  sitting  with  them  to 
give  help  if  needed.  Classes  begin  in  the  after- 
noon at  2  o'clock  and  continue  till  4:30  or  5 
o'clock. 

In  the  cool  of  the  evening  football  is  played, 
while  some  of  the  boys  go  for  walks.  At  sunset 
they  have  fifteen  minutes  for  silence  and  the 
chanting  of  the  evening  verses.  Some  of  the 
boys  teach  in  a  night  school  which  has  been 
started  for  the  servants  of  the  School  and  the 
neighbouring  villagers. 

Before  the  evening  meal  there  is  an  hour  which 
is  devoted  to  some  form  of  entertainment,  such 
as  story  telling  by  one  of  the  teachers,  a  lantern 
lecture,  or  some  amusement  got  up  by  the  boys 
themselves.     The    bell    for   retiring    sounds    at 


SHANTINIKETAN  55 

about  nine  o'clock,  and  most  of  the  boys  are 
asleep  by  9:30,  except  on  moonlight  nights  when 
numbers  of  the  older  boys  go  out  for  a  walk  to 
neighbouring  woods  where  they  sit  and  sing  till 
late  at  night. 

There  is  no  head  master,  the  school  being 
under  the  management  of  an  executive  com- 
mittee elected  by  the  teachers  themselves,  from 
among  whom  one  is  elected  each  year  as  execu- 
tive head.  He  is  entrusted  with  the  practical 
management  of  the  institution.  In  each  subject 
one  of  the  masters  is  elected  as  director  of 
studies,  and  he  discusses  with  the  other  teachers 
in  that  subject  the  books  and  methods  of  teach- 
ing to  be  adopted,  but  each  teacher  is  left  to 
work  out  his  own  methods  in  the  way  he  thinks 
best. 

When  the  poet  is  himself  present  he  presides 
at  the  meetings  of  the  executive  committee,  and 
also  teaches  in  some  of  the  classes,  but  his  in- 
fluence is  more  widely  felt  in  the  informal  read- 
ings of  his  own  writings  which  he  gives  in  the 
evenings  during  the  entertainment  period.     He 


56  SHANTINIKETAN 

also  teaches  the  boys,  when  they  take  part  in  his 
plays,  not  only  how  to  act  but  also  how  to  sing 
his  songs. 

The  boys  are  trusted  very  largely  to  look  after 
their  own  affairs,  and  have  their  own  committees 
in  the  different  sections  of  the  School,  as  well  as 
the  general  meetings  of  all  the  boys  in  the 
ashram  when  questions  affecting  the  whole 
School  are  brought  up  for  discussion.  In  their 
examinations  they  are  left  to  themselves  and 
put  on  their  honour.  When  an  examination 
takes  place  the  boys  may  be  seen  in  all  sorts  of 
positions  writing  their  answers,  even  in  such 
inacessible  places  as  the  fork  of  some  high  tree. 
Though  occasionally  boys  take  advantage  of  the 
trust  thus  placed  in  them  it  is  found  that  in  the 
majority  of  cases  trust  begets  trust,  and  there 
is  no  question  that  the  relationship  between 
teacher  and  pupil  is  a  happier  one  in  consequence. 

The  old  boys  of  the  ashram  keep  in  touch  with 
the  school  in  different  ways.  The  boys  who  are 
in   the  ashram  know  these  "old  boys"  by  the 


SHANTINIKETAN  57 

title  of  "Dada,"  which  means  elder  brother,  and 
at  the  annual  festival,  which  takes  place  in 
December  on  the  anniversary  of  the  date  on 
which  the  ashram  was  founded,  numbers  of  the 
old  boys  come  to  see  the  performance  of  one  of 
the  poet's  plays.  The  keenest  interest  is  taken 
by  all  in  the  football  match  between  Past  and 
Present  Boys.  The  School  is  not  behind-hand 
in  Sports  as  can  be  seen  by  its  record  in  the 
inter-school  Sports  of  the  district  in  which  boys 
from  our  ashram  have  carried  off  the  chief 
prizes  for  several  years  in  succession.  Their 
football  record  also  is  one  to  be  proud  of,  so  the 
education  of  the  boys  includes  physical  culture 
as  well  as  culture  of  the  mind. 

As  I  have  said,  the  classes  are  held  in  the  open 
air  as  much  as  possible,  and  there  is  no  need  for 
elaborate  furniture  and  class  rooms.  Each  boy 
brings  with  him  to  the  various  classes  his  own 
square  piece  of  carpet  for  sitting  on,  and  the 
teacher  either  sits  under  a  tree,  or  in  the  ver- 
andah of  one  of  the  dormitories.     This  open  air 


58  SHANTINIKETAN 

class  work  has  its  great  advantages,  for  it 
keeps  the  minds  of  the  boys  fresh  in  their  ap- 
preciation of  nature.  I  remember  in  the  middle 
of  one  class  I  was  suddenly  interrupted  in  my 
teaching  by  one  of  the  boys  calling  my  attention 
to  the  song  of  a  bird  in  the  branches  overhead. 
We  stopped  the  teaching  and  listened  till  the 
bird  had  finished.  It  was  spring  time  and  the 
boy  who  had  called  my  attention  to  the  song 
said  to  me,  "I  don't  know  why,  but  somehow  I 
can't  explain  what  I  feel  when  I  hear  that  bird 
singing."  I  could  not  enlighten  him,  but  I  am 
quite  sure  that  my  class  learnt  more  from  that 
bird  than  it  had  ever  done  from  my  teaching, 
and  something  that  they  would  never  forget 
in  life.  For  myself  my  ears  were  opened  and  for 
several  days  I  was  conscious  of  the  songs  of  the 
birds  as  I  had  never  been  before.  The  boys  are 
very  fond  of  flowers  and  some  times  will  get  up 
long  before  dawn  to  be  the  first  to  pluck  some 
new  sweet-scented  blossoms.     These  they  weave 


SHANTINIKETAN  59 

into  garlands  for  their  teachers  or  for  the  poet 
himself. 

Sometimes  when  the  class  comes  at  the  end  of 
the  day,  the  boys  ask  that  they  may  go  out  to 
some  neighboring  village  or  the  river,  and  have 
the  class  on  the  way.  When  this  happens  then 
they  are  supremely  happy,  and  we  go  off  to- 
gether with  no  other  anxiety  than  that  of  getting 
back  in  time  for  the  evening  meal. 

For  the  younger  boys  Nature  Study  forms 
part  of  their  work,  and  during  the  whole  of  one 
term  one  class  was  kept  busy  in  collecting  all 
the  varieties  of  leaves  and  grasses  that  could  be 
found  in  the  neighborhood.  Sometimes  they 
would  find  an  unexpected  addition  to  their  col- 
lection of  botanical  specimens,  by  getting  a  thorn 
into  their  bare  feet,  for  all  the  boys  go  about  bare- 
foot in  the  ashram.  But  their  feet  are  so  hard- 
ened to  the  gravel  and  thorny  paths  which 
abound  all  round  the  school  that  it  is  only  the 
new  boys  that  find  any  hardship  in  such  an 
experience.     Occasionally  on  a  clear  night  one 


6o  SHANTINIKETAN 

of  the  teachers  gives  a  simple  lesson  in  as- 
tronomy, and  shows  the  moon  and  stars  through 
a  small  telescope,  and  when  lantern  slides  can 
be  obtained  illustrated  lectures  are  given  in  the 
evenings,  sometimes  in  the  open  air  and  some- 
times in  one  of  the  dormitories.  It  is  always 
possible  to  find  one  or  two  of  the  more  practical 
boys  eager  to  take  charge  of  the  lantern,  and  fix 
up  the  sheet. 

Bengali  is  the  medium  of  instruction  through- 
out the  School,  but  English  is  taught  as  a 
second  language. 

The  direct  method  of  teaching  English  is 
adopted  in  the  lower  classes,  and  when  the  boys 
are  beginning  to  understand,  fairy  stories  or 
adventures  are  told  to  the  boys  in  simple 
English.  When  the  boys  are  interested  in  a 
story  it  is  surprising  with  what  ease  they  are 
able  to  follow.  I  have  myself  found  such  stories 
as  George  Macdonald's  "The  Princess  and 
Curdie"  an3  "The  Princess  and  the  Goblins" 
fascinate    Bengali   boys  of  thirteen  or  fourteen. 


SHANTINIKETAN  6i 

and  they  have  been  eager  to  hear  the  next 
instalment,  even  though  told  them  in  a  foreign 
language. 

One  of  the  things  that  strikes  visitors  to  the 
school  is  the  look  of  happiness  on  the  boys'  faces, 
and  there  is  no  doubt  that  there  is  none  of  the 
usual  feeling  of  dislike  for  school  life  which  one 
finds  in  institutions  where  the  only  object  held 
before  the  boys  is  the  passing  of  examinations. 
Examinations  have  been  abolished  in  the  lower 
classes,  except  once  a  year  when  tests  of  each 
boy's  progress  are  made  by  the  teacher  who  has 
been  teaching  the  boy  himself. 

At  the  end  of  each  term  arrangements  are 
made  for  staging  one  of  the  poet's  plays.  The 
teachers  and  boys  take  the  different  parts,  and 
the  play  is  staged  in  Shantiniketan,  visitors 
coming  from  Calcutta  to  see  it,  especially  if  the 
poet  is  himself  taking  part.  The  poet  coaches 
the  actors  himself,  first  reading  the  play  aloud, 
and  then  reading  it  over  with  those  who  are  to 
take  part.     During  the  days  when  the  play  is 


62  SHANTINIKETAN 

being  rehearsed  there  are  not  many  classes  held, 
for  the  boys  of  the  whole  school  are  always 
present  at  the  rehearsals.  One  sees  the  small 
boys  peeping  in  at  the  windows,  and  showing 
the  keenest  appreciation  of  the  humourous  and 
witty  scenes.  The  final  day  is  a  busy 
one  for  the  stage  has  to  be  prepared  and 
there  must  be  a  dress  rehearsal.  To  this  the 
boys  are  not  admitted,  as  it  would  take  away 
the  freshness  of  the  play  if  they  were  able 
to  see  a  too  nearly  perfect  presentation  of 
it  beforehand.  But  when  it  begins  there  is 
great  enthusiasm  amongst  visitors  and  boys 
alike,  as  the  songs  and  dances  reveal  the  spirit 
of  the  play  to  the  delighted  audience.  In  this 
way  the  ideas  of  the  poet  are  assimilated  by  the 
boys,  without  their  having  to  make  any  con- 
scious effort.  In  fact  they  are  being  educated 
into  his  thought  through  the  sub-conscious 
mind,  and  this  is  one  of  the  root  principles  of 
Rabindranath  Tagore's  method  of  education. 
English  plays  are  also  sometimes  given,  as  well 


SHANTINIKETAN  63 

as  Sanskrit,  and  it  is  remarkable  to  see  what 
histrionic  powers  the  BengaH  boy  has,  even  when 
he  has  to  act  in  a  foreign  tongue.  When  the 
play  is  in  Bengali  then  they  are  in  their  element, 
and  they  seem  to  have  such  aptitude  for  acting 
that  the  smaller  boys  often  get  up  plays  of  their 
own  without  any  assistance  from  the  masters. 
At  the  beginning  of  this  year  there  was  a  per- 
formance of  the  poet's  new  play  ''A  Spring 
Festival"  in  Calcutta,  and  a  number  of  the 
younger  boys,  aged  from  eight  to  ten,  took 
part  in  the  chorus.  They  did  not  have  to  do 
any  acting,  but  merely  sang  the  songs  and  took 
part  in  the  dances,  so  that  they  were  practically 
in  the  position  of  spectators  on  the  stage.  After 
the  play  was  over,  and  we  had  all  returned  to 
Shantiniketan,  these  small  boys  surprised  us  by 
giving  one  evening  a  performance  of  the  whole 
play,  each  boy  taking  one  of  the  characters  with 
such  perfect  mimicry  of  those  who  had  taken 
the  parts  in  Calcutta  that  the  performance 
was  irresistible.      Every  shade  of  humour  and 


64  SHANTINIKETAN 

seriousness    was    reproduced    to    perfection    by 
these  pigmy  actors. 

An  account  of  the  school  would  be  incom- 
plete without  some  reference  to  what  strike 
one  as  the  peculiar  characteristics  of  the  Ben- 
gali boys  as  distinguished  from  English  boys. 
In  the  grounds  of  the  school  there  is  a  small 
Hospital  building  in  which  the  boys  when  ill 
reside,  and  to  which  outdoor  patients  from  the 
surrounding  villages  come  for  treatment.  There 
is  a  qualified  doctor  in  charge  but  the  nursing  is 
done  almost  entirely  by  the  boys  themselves, 
who  in  the  case  of  the  serious  illness  of  one  of 
their  schoolfellows,  divide  the  night  up  into 
watches  of  two  hours  each,  and  look  after  the 
patient  all  night.  They  seem  to  have  a  natural 
instinct  which  makes  them  splendid  nurses  even 
when  they  have  not  had  any  special  training. 
It  is  not  only  towards  the  boys  themselves  that 
they  show  this  care,  but  when  necessity  arises 
for  helping  some  poor  villager  from  the  neighbor- 
hood they  will  go  to  the  village,  and  perhaps 


SHANTINIKETAN  65 

carry  the  patient  on  a  stretcher  to  the  school 
hospital  in  order  that  he  may  get  proper  treat- 
ment. 

The  story  of  Jadav  well  illustrates  this  re- 
markable spirit.  Jadav  was  one  of  the  boys  in 
the  lower  part  of  the  School.  He  was  only  about 
eleven  years  old  but  he  was  a  brilliant  boy  and 
full  of  promise.  He  was  taken  ill  while  he  was 
with  us  and  died  in  the  ashram. 

I  remember  so  well  his  keen  interest  in  Nature 
Study,  and  how  he  would  come  running  and 
panting  to  my  class  with  his  latest  addition  to 
the  collections  of  different  kinds  of  leaves  which 
the  smaller  boys  were  making.  His  words 
tumbling  over  each  other  in  his  eagerness  to 
show  me  what  treasures  he  had  found,  he  would 
ask  me  whether  any  other  boy  had  got  so  many 
different  kinds.  All  his  teachers  found  in  him 
the  same  eager  interest  in  his  work,  and  at  meet- 
ings of  the  smaller  boys  he  would  sometimes  tell 
a  story  in  English  which  was  wonderfully  good 
for  so  young  a  pupil. 


66  SHANTINIKETAN 

When  he  was  first  taken  ill  it  was  not  realised 
that  it  was  anything  serious,  but  after  a  week  or 
so  he  became  worse  and  it  was  decided  to  re- 
move him  to  Calcutta  as  the  accommodation  in 
our  small  Hospital  building  was  not  satisfactory 
for  cases  of  serious  illness.  Many  of  the  older 
boys  had  been  taking  their  turns  in  sitting  up  at 
night  with  the  little  patient,  and  when  the 
morning  came  for  him  to  be  removed  eight  or 
ten  of  them  took  up  the  stretcher  on  which  he 
was  to  be  carried  to  the  station  and  started  off 
along  the  road.  As  soon  as  Jadav  realised  that 
he  was  being  taken  away  to  Calcutta  his  whole 
body  became  restless  and  instead  of  lying  still 
and  quiet  in  his  weakness  he  began  to  struggle 
and  cry  out,  "I  don't  want  to  leave  the  ashram. 
Take  me  back."  "I  won't  go.  I  want  to  go 
back  to  the  ashram."  "Why  are  you  taking 
me  away.?" 

The  doctor  became  alarmed  and  said  that  it 
would  be  dangerous  to  take  him  if  he  struggled 
and  cried,  so  the  boys  turned  back  towards  the 


SHANTINIKETAN  67 

ashram  again.  The  moment  he  realised  that  he 
was  returning  to  his  ashram  the  Httle  fellow 
lay  quite  still  and  he  was  happy  again. 

He  began  to  get  worse  however  and  in  spite  of 
the  best  medical  aid  that  could  be  got  from 
Calcutta  it  soon  became  clear  that  we  were  to 
lose  his  bright  presence.  Day  after  day  the  boys 
took  their  turns  in  watching  by  his  side  and 
carrying  out  the  doctors'  instructions  and  would 
sit  up  all  through  the  night  bathing  his  fevered 
body  with  cool  water. 

An  hour  or  two  before  he  died  I  was  sitting 
by  his  side  and  he  said  in  Bengali  in  a  voice 
weak  and  full  of  pathos,  "The  flower  will  not 
blossom."  I  whispered  to  him,  "Don't  be 
afraid,  for  the  flower  will  blossom." 

He  was  cremated  out  on  the  open  fields  near 
the  ashram  at  dawn  and  as  the  flames  crept 
slowly  upwards  I  knew  that  for  us  at  least  his 
little  life  had  blossomed  and  left  a  fragrance 
behind  which  would  never  fade. 


68  SHANTINIKETAN 

Another  striking  characteristic  of  the  Bengali 
boy  is  his  genuine  affection  for  Httle  children. 
The  average  English  boy,  if  told  to  take  charge 
of  an  infant  brother  would  feel  completely  miser- 
able, and  if  asked  to  carry  his  baby  sister  to  the 
Annual  Prize  Giving  of  his  own  school  would 
feel  ready  to  sink  through  the  floor  with  shame. 
But  in  Bengali  wherever  one  goes  he  is  struck  by 
the  fact  that  the  boys  are  devoted  to  children 
and  are  never  tired  of  nursing  them  or  playing 
with  them.  I  have  seen  boys  at  Shantiniketan 
spend  hours  wheeling  a  perambulator  with 
quite  a  young  child  in  it  for  the  mere  pleasure 
of  having  a  child  to  entertain.  There  is  no 
affectation  about  it,  and  this  is  not  a  peculiarity 
of  the  boys  of  our  school  only.  Nothing  gives 
the  boys  of  the  upper  classes  at  Shantiniketan 
more  pleasure  than  to  be  allowed  to  bring  to  their 
class  the  grandson  of  the  poet,  a  little  boy  of  four 
who  sits  through  the  period  quite  quietly  and 
solemnly,  with  only  an  occasional  diversion  if 
anything  interesting  is  happening  near  the  tree 


SHANTINIKETAN  69 

under  which  the  class  is  being  held.  And  I  have 
often  seen  one  of  the  biggest  boys,  on  the  way 
to  the  football  field,  hand  in  hand  with  the  tiny 
son  of  one  of  the  teachers,  a  little  boy  of  three, 
who  chatters  away  to  his  big  companion  on  all 
sorts  of  subjects. 

Bengali  boys  have  also  a  characteristic  atti- 
tude of  receptivity  to  spiritual  things  which 
makes  it  possible  to  trust  to  the  atmosphere  of 
the  ashram  for  the  development  of  the  spiritual 
life.  There  is,  for  example,  nothing  irksome  to 
the  boys  in  the  habit  of  sitting  in  silence  and 
stillness  during  the  morning  and  evening  periods 
of  silent  worship.  The  result  of  this  is  that  even 
the  younger  boys  of  our  school  often  find  it 
easier  to  follow  the  addresses  of  the  poet  than 
graduate  students  of  Calcutta,  who  have  not 
had  the  opportunity  of  living  in  such  an  en- 
vironment. They  are  like  sensitive  instruments 
which  respond  to  the  least  influence,  and  for  that 
reason  unkindness  or  thoughtlessness  in  one's 
dealings    with     Bengali    students    often    have 


70  SHANTINIKETAN 

results  apparently  far  out  of  proportion  to  the 
actual  occasion  of  the  hurt.  This  has  been  seen 
recently  in  the  effect  of  an  unsympathetic  atti- 
tude adopted  by  many  professors  in  Govern- 
ment and  other  Colleges  towards  the  students  in 
Calcutta.  But  this  very  sensitiveness  responds 
with  even  greater  readiness  to  kindness  and 
sympathy.  In  educational  work  of  any  kind 
sympathy  is  the  supreme  necessity  for  a  success- 
ful teacher,  but  this  is  truer  in  Bengal  than  in 
any  other  country  in  the  world. 

Before  closing  some  reference  should  be  made 
to  the  religious  atmosphere  of  the  place.  I  say 
religious  atmosphere  because  there  is  no  definite 
dogmatic  teaching,  and  for  the  development  of 
the  spiritual  side  of  the  boys'  natures  the  ideal 
has  always  been  to  leave  that  to  the  natural 
instinct  of  each  individual  boy.  In  this  con- 
siderable help  is  expected  from  the  personal 
influence  of  the  teachers,  and  in  the  silent  but 
constant  influence  of  close  touch  with  Nature 


SHANTINIKETAN  71 

herself,  which   in  India  is  the  most  wonderful 
teacher  of  spiritual  truth. 

Shantiniketan  was  founded  by  the  father  of 
the  poet,  Maharshi  Devendranath  Tagore,  as 
an  ashram,  or  reHgious  retreat  where  those  in 
search  of  peace  might  have  an  opportunity  for 
quiet  and  meditation,  and  when  Rabindranath 
chose  it  as  the  site  for  his  school  he  knew  that 
the  atmosphere  of  the  place  was  an  ideal  one  for 
the  growth  of  his  own  ideals.  The  eldest  son  of 
the  Maharshi,  Mr.  Dwijendranath  Tagore  has 
also  chosen  this  place  for  the  closing  years  of  his 
life,  and  is  still  living  there  in  his  seventy-fifth 
year,  spending  his  days  in  quiet  meditation  and 
writing  on  religious  and  philosophical  subjects. 
On  the  first  day  of  the  New  Year,  and  on  other 
special  occasions,  all  the  boys  and  teachers  go 
to  pay  their  reverence  to  this  saint  who  has  now 
lived  constantly  for  about  twenty  years  in 
Shantiniketan,  and  is  as  much  a  vital  part  of 
the  ashram  as  the  boys  themselves.  One  of  the 
rarest  privileges  is  that  of  going  in  the  evening 


72  SHANTlNIKETAN 

to  his  house  and  in  the  fading  twilight  to  sit  and 
talk  with  him  on  the  deeper  things  of  the  spirit. 
Mention  has  been  made  of  the  period  set  apart 
in  the  early  morning  and  evening  for  meditation. 
Each  boy  takes  his  piece  of  carpet  out  into  the 
open  field  or  under  a  tree  when  the  bell  for  wor- 
ship sounds,  and  sits  there  for  fifteen  minutes  in 
silent  contemplation,  or  perhaps  one  should  say 
in  silence,  for  the  subject  of  his  thoughts  is  left 
entirely  to  each  boy.  There  is  no  instruction 
given  as  to  the  method  of  meditation,  the  direc- 
tion of  their  thoughts  being  left  to  the  influence 
of  the  idea  of  silence  itself  and  to  the  Sanskrit 
texts  which  are  repeated  by  the  boys  together 
at  the  close  of  the  period  of  silent  meditation. 
That  many  boys  form  the  habit  of  such  daily 
silent  worship  is  enough.  Apart  from  this 
morning  and  evening  silence  there  is  a  service 
held  in  the  temple  once  or  twice  a  week  at  which 
the  poet  himself,  when  present,  addresses  the 
boys.  When  he  is  away  one  of  the  teachers  gives 
the  address,  and  the  boys  join  in  the  chanting  of 


SHANTINIKETAN  73 

certain  Sanskrit  mantras.  The  subject  of  these 
addresses  varies,  and  many  of  them  have  been 
published  in  a  series  entitled  ''Shantiniketan," 
which  have  been  published  by  the  school  authori- 
ties. As  an  example  I  may  give  the  notes  I  took 
of  an  address  given  by  the  poet  on  the  last  night 
of  the  old  year.  The  service  was  held  after  sun- 
set and  in  the  darkness  it  was  only  possible  to 
distinguish  the  speaker  dimly  outlined  against  a 
background  of  white  clad  figures  seated  on  the 
floor  all  round  him. 

He  began  by  saying  that  when  a  year  comes 
to  its  end  we  sometimes  think  only  of  the  sad- 
ness of  ending,  but  if  we  can  realise  that  in  this 
ending  there  is  not  emptiness  but  fulness,  then 
even  the  thought  of  ending  itself  becomes  full  of 
joy.  In  this  very  process  of  ending  we  once 
again  have  the  leisure  to  throw  off  the  coverings 
and  wrappings  of  habit  and  custom  and  thus 
emerge  into  a  fuller  and  more  spacious  conception 
of  life.  Even  the  ending  of  life  in  death  has  this 
element  of  fulness  in  it  when  viewed  from  the 


74  SHANTINIKETAN 

right  standpoint.  Death  really  reveals  life  to  us 
and  never  hides  or  obscures  it  except  where  we 
ourselves  are  wilfully  blind.  Thus  the  breaking 
of  customs  and  forms  which  have  grown  round 
us  only  to  choke  true  life  is  a  matter  for  joy  and 
not  sorrow.  In  Europe  this  war,  which  is 
robbing  so  many  homes  by  death,  is  really  the 
tearing  off,  on  a  vast  scale,  of  the  wrappings  of 
dead  habits  of  mind  which  have  been  accumu- 
lating for  so  many  years  only  to  smother  the 
truth  of  our  nature.  The  currents  of  life  which 
had  become  choked  and  stagnant  will  once  more 
become  free  to  flow  in  fresh  channels. 

When  death  comes  to  those  whom  we  love, 
we  seem  to  see  the  world  in  its  completeness,  but 
without  the  customary  crowd  of  things  which 
hide  from  us  the  reality  underlying  the  scene. 
In  death's  presence  the  world  becomes  like  the 
darkness  which  is  so  full  that  one  feels  it  can  be 
pierced  with  a  needle  and  yet  it  seems  empty  of 
objects. 


SHANTINIKETAN  75 

Thus  the  message  of  this  end  of  the  year  is  the 
joy  of  change  and  its  acceptance  as  the  means  of 
achieving  a  wider  vision  and  grasp  of  life. 

The  address  was  full  of  illuminating  illustra- 
tions as  all  the  poet's  addresses  are,  and  I  have 
only  given  the  barest  outline  of  this  one  in  order 
to  give  some  idea  of  the  kind  of  subjects  which 
are  taken.  The  fact  that  some  of  them  seem  to 
be  above  the  heads  of  the  boys  does  not  seri- 
ously matter,  for  the  boys,  even  without  fully 
understanding,  are  all  the  time  unconsciously 
absorbing  the  point  of  view  of  the  speaker. 

In  closing  I  cannot  do  better  than  quote  in 
full  a  letter  written  to  a  Schoolmaster  in  England 
who  had  written  to  the  poet  asking  for  an  account 
of  the  methods  he  adopts  at  Shantiniketan.  He 
writes: 

"To  give  spiritual  culture  to  our  boys  was 
my  principal  object  in  starting  my  school  in 
Bolpur.  Fortunately,  in  India  we  have  the 
model  before  us  in  the  tradition  of  our  ancient 
forest  schools  where  teachers  whose  aim  was  to 


76  SHANTINIKETAN 

realise  their  lives  in  God  had  their  homes. 
The  atmosphere  was  full  of  the  aspiration  for 
the  infinite,  and  the  students  who  grew  up  with 
their  teachers  closely  united  with  them  in 
spiritual  relationship  felt  the  reality  of  God — 
for  it  was  no  mere  creed  imposed  upon  them  or 
speculative  abstraction. 

Having  this  ideal  of  a  school  in  my  mind 
which  should  be  a  home  and  a  temple  in  one, 
where  teaching  should  be  part  of  a  worshipful 
life  I  selected  this  spot,  away  from  all  distrac- 
tions of  town,  hallowed  by  the  memory  of  a 
pious  life  whose  days  were  passed  there  in  com- 
munion with  God. 

You  must  not  imagine  that  I  have  fully  real- 
ised my  ideal — but  the  ideal  is  there  working 
itself  out  through  all  the  obstacles  of  the  hard 
prose  of  modern  life.  In  spiritual  matters  one 
should  forget  that  he  must  teach  others  or 
achieve  results  that  can  be  measured,  and  in  my 
school  here  I  think  it  proper  to  measure  our 
success  by  the  spiritual  growth  in  the  teachers. 


SHANTINIKETAN  77 

In  these  things  gain  to  one's  personal  self  is 
gain  to  all,  like  lighting  a  lamp  which  is  lighting 
a  whole  room. 

The  first  help  that  our  boys  get  here  on  this 
path,  is  from  the  cultivation  of  love  of  nature 
and  sympathy  with  all  living  creatures.  Music 
is  of  very  great  assistance  to  them — songs  being 
not  of  the  ordinary  hymn  type,  dry  and  didactic, 
but  as  full  of  lyric  joy  as  the  author  could  put 
in  them.  You  can  understand  how  these  songs 
affect  the  boys  when  you  know  that  singing  them 
is  the  best  enjoyment  they  choose  for  them- 
selves in  their  leisure  time,  in  the  evening  when 
the  moon  is  up,  in  the  rainy  days  when  their 
classes  are  closed.  Mornings  and  evenings 
fifteen  minutes  time  is  given  them  to  sit  in  an 
open  space  composing  their  minds  for  worship. 
We  never  watch  them  and  ask  questions  about 
what  they  think  in  those  times,  but  leave  it 
entirely  to  themselves,  to  the  spirit  of  the  place 
and  the  time,  and  the  suggestion  of  the  practice 
itself.     We    rely   more    upon    the    subconscious 


78 


S  H ANTI NI KET AN 


influence  of  Nature,  of  the  associations  of  the 
place  and  the  daily  Hfe  of  worship  that  we  Hve 
than  on  any  conscious  efi^ort  to  teach  them." 

This  letter  sums  up  better  than  I  can  the 
ideals  of  Shantiniketan  and  gives  expression  to 
the  spirit  with  which  the  ashram  was  started. 


K^v. ' 


THE  GIFT  TO  THE  GURU 


THE  GIFT  TO  THE  GURU 

BY  SATISH  CHANDRA  ROY 
Translated  by  W.  W.  Pearson 

Introduction 

This  evening  I  am  going  to  tell  you  a  story 
about  a  boy  of  long  ago. 

Forget  for  a  while  this  lamp  that  we  have 
lighted  indoors,  and  think  of  that  flood  of  moon- 
light that  pours  itself  out  upon  the  surrounding 
fields.  On  one  side  of  this  open  country  the 
wood  is  black  and  indistinct  like  a  huge  python 
that  has  risen  from  some  chasm  of  the  earth 
and  is  lying  asleep  in  the  moonlight,  swaying  in 


82  SHANTINIKETAN 

the  wind.  To-night  as  we  all  sit  together  I 
shall  speak  to  you  about  the  night.  If  it  had 
been  daytime,  perhaps  I  should  have  talked 
about  the  day.  But  no, — I  have  another  rea- 
son for  describing  the  night,  for  night  time  is  the 
best  time  for  story-telling.  At  night  time  every- 
thing seems  indistinct  and  distant  objects  are 
brought  near.  If  it  had  been  daytime,  would 
you  have  been  able  so  easily  to  think  that  you 
were  seeing  the  stars,  which,  when  the  sky  is 
caressed  by  the  shadow  of  the  night,  blossom 
like  flowers  and  fill  the  heavens  in  their  multi- 
tudes? 

So  far  I  have  been  describing  the  night,  in 
order  to  carry  you  in  thought  out  into  the 
darkness,  where  the  sky  is  decked  with  the 
moon  and  stars.  Now  you  must  accompany 
me  in   imagination  wherever  I  go. 

What  journey  shall  we  take  together?  We 
are  going  to  visit  a  sacred  grove  of  ancient  India. 
If  it  had  been  day  time,  how  could  you  ever 
have  discovered  this  sacred  grove  of  hundreds  of 


^-M^- 


SHANTTNIKETAN  85 

years  ago  ?  If  it  had  been  day  time,  what  should 
we  have  seen  in  modern  India?  We  should  have 
seen  cities,  railways  and  factories;  we  should 
have  seen  forests  full  of  wild  beasts,  dried-up 
rivers,  hard  rocky  mountains,  barren  parched 
deserts  and  many  other  things  besides.  The 
sacred  grove  I  am  to  tell  you  about  no  longer 
exists. 

But  it  is  night  time  now — moonlight  is  falling 
and  the  silence  of  sleep  has  come.  Now  the 
mind  can  take  wings  and  fly  in  imagination 
wherever  it  wishes.  Come  then  let  us  forget 
everything  and  all  go  together  to  see  the  Ash- 
ram* of  the  Rishist  in  that  wood  of  ancient 
India.  You  are  Brahmacharis!}:  and  you  can 
for  a  time  go  with  me  and  exchange  thoughts 
with  the  Brahmacharies  of  those  days. 


*  Ashram:     A    forest    school    where    the    teachers    and    their 
famihes  hve  with  the  boys  in  some  retired  spot. 

t  Rishis:    Saints. 

+  Brahmacharis:    Students  brought  up  to  a  Hfe  of  disciphne 
in  an  atmosphere  of  rehgion. 


^0^ 


CHAPTER  I 

In  olden  times  boys  used  to  go  for  purposes 
of  study  to  a  Brahmachari-ashram.  I  have 
already  told  you  that  schools  of  that  kind  were 
situated  in  sacred  groves.  Rishis  used  to  think 
that  though  it  is  necessary  for  groups  of  men  to 
build  cities  in  places  where  there  is  a  great  deal 
of  business  and  bustle,  yet  there  are  other  needs 
besides  these,  which  human  life  is  meant  to  fulfil. 

If  you  live  only  in  the  busy  work  and  turmoil 
of  the  world,  you  will  not  get  time  to  understand, 
or  even  to  see  properly,  all  aspects  of  the  world. 
The  mind  will  have  no  peace;  and  if  the  mind  is 
not  tranquil,  then  the  real  meaning  of  things 
will  not  be  understood,  nor  will  their  real  beauty 
be  appreciated. 


SHANTINIKETAN  87 

Besides  this  there  was  another  advantage  in 
living  in  a  forest,  namely,  that  man  felt  a  kind 
of  freedom  and  was  able  to  realise  his  own 
worth.  Each  one  had  to  do  his  own  work,  so 
that  no  false  ideas  crept  in,  that  such  a  one  was 
poor,  and  therefore  unimportant,  and  such  a 
one  was  rich,  and  therefore  great. 

It  was  those  forest  saints  who  were  really 
able  to  uphold  the  ideals  of  India,  which  made 
peace  and  tranquility  the  greatest  of  blessings. 
In  the  solitudes  of  these  forests,  and  in  the 
midst  of  the  beauty  of  these  woods,  the  teaching 
given  had  a  deep  and  penetrating  effect.  That 
was  the  reason  why  the  students  of  those  days 
saw  such  a  wonderful  glory  in  the  world. 

From  the  story  that  I  am  going  to  relate,  you 
will  be  able  to  see  what  great  strength  a  pupil 
gained  from  his  training  in  a  solitary  place  such 
as  I  have  described. 

So  now  I  will  begin  my  story. 


CHAPTER  II 


One  day,  when  it  was  just  dawn  in  the  sacred 
grove,  Ved  the  Rishi  of  the  Ashram,  having 
finished  his  morning  prayer  and  worship  of  the 
sacred  fire  called  his  pupils  together,  fresh  from 
their  morning  bath,  and  sat  with  them  at  the 
foot  of  an  Amloki  tree. 

The  deer  have  now  risen  from  their  sleep  in 
the  courtyard  and  run  into  the  forest.     One  of 


SHANTINIKETAN  89 

the  boys  has  driven  a  cow  into  a  meadow  luscious 
with  fresh  tender  grass.  Now  as  he  sits  under  a 
tree  the  soft  rays  of  the  sun,  falhng  through  the 
cool  green  network  of  leaves  and  branches,  light 
up  his  face  and  he  is  singing  with  a  sweet  low 
voice  a  hymn  to  the  sun.  A  band  of  younger 
boys  with  baskets  in  their  hands  are  filling 
them  with  flowers  from  the  woods.  Near  by 
the  wife  of  their  Guru*,  as  she  comes  from  the 
river,  is  pouring  a  little  water  from  a  pitcher 
on  to  the  roots  of  each  tree  and  smiles  as  she 
looks  with  tenderness  at  the  boys. 

Thus  while  the  fresh  calmness  of  early  morn- 
ing rests  on  the  scene  Ved  begins  to  explain  to 
the  boys  with  a  voice  lull  of  joy  the  sacred 
mysteries  of  God.  Gazing  on  the  radiant  face 
of  their  Guru  the  boys  began  to  listen  attent- 
ively. When  the  morning  reading  was  finished 
two  or  three  deer  came  to  the  place  where  they 
were,    and    began    to    nestle    with    their   warm 


*Guru:   Teacher  and  master. 


90  SHANTINIKETAN 

breath  and  soft  noses  against  the  boys'  bodies. 
A  few  of  the  students  however  remained  seated 
in  silent  thought  quite  motionless. 

Then  one  of  the  older  boys,  named  Utonka, 
came  up  and  having  bowed  before  his  Guru's 
feet  said  with  clasped  hands. 

"To-day  my  time  of  discipline  is  finished.  I 
have  by  your  love  gained  strength.  My  body 
has  become  strong  and  my  mind  bright  and 
happy.  I  have  seen  the  glory  of  the  sun  and 
moon  and  have  felt  a  Power  in  the  glowing  fire. 
I  have  tasted  the  joys  of  the  six  seasons  of  the 
year.  The  peace  and  tranquility  of  the  forests 
have  taken  up  their  abode  in  me  and  the  fresh 
living  spirit  of  the  birds  and  beasts,  of  the  trees 
and  creepers,  has  entered  my  heart.  I  have 
come  to  understand  that  the  food  which  we  eat 
and  the  wood  of  the  trees  which  we  burn  in  the 
fire  are  to  be  deemed  sacred  because  they  do  us 
good.  Air,  water,  sky  and  light  are  sacred 
also,  and  all  are  filled  with  divine  sweetness  and 
goodness. 


SHANTINIKETAN  91 

"Gurudev,  I  have  learnt  to  understand  all  this 
and  now  I  must  go  out  into  the  wider  world. 
In  that  outer  world  there  are  hundreds  and 
hundreds  of  men  like  me  and  my  duty  now  lies 
amongst  them,  for  man  cannot  live  without 
human  love.  By  your  help,  Gurudev,  I  have 
become  a  Brahmachari.  My  body  is  strong; 
I  am  not  afraid  of  difficulties,  and  when  I  go 
out  into  the  world  I  shall  be  able  to  fulfil  my 
purpose  by  your  blessing.  My  Guru,  give  me 
then  your  blessing,  and  tell  me  what  offering  I 
am  to  bring  you.  When  I  have  made  my  offer- 
ing, I  will  bid  farewell." 

While  Utonka  was  speaking,  all  the  other 
boys  were  watching  him  with  sorrowful  faces. 
Hearing  that  he  was  going  away  their  eyes  filled 
with  tears.  Gurudev  also  with  tearful,  yet 
smiling,  eyes  said,— "My  son  the  heart  of  a 
Guru  is  always  with  his  disciples,  the  blessings 
of  a  Guru  are  taken  up  by  the  clouds  and  fall 
like  rain  from  heaven.  They  touch  his  eyes 
mingling  with  the  light  of  the  sun.     Like  the 


92  SHANTINIKETAN 

breeze  they  waft  their  fragrance  around  him, 
day  by  day,  and  dwell  in  his  heart  as  peace  and 
tenderness.  You  need  not  ask  for  my  blessing: 
it  is  yours  already.  Go  out  into  the  world  and 
my  blessing  be  with  you.  What  further  offer- 
ing can  I  desire,  my  son.^  Go  to  your  mother, 
and  if  you  can  bring  anything  that  she  desires, 
you  will  be  free  from  your  debt  to  your  Guru." 

Utonka  replied, — "Gurudev,  I  cannot  hope 
ever  to  free  myself  from  my  debt  to  you,  but, 
I  will  do  as  you  say,  and  will  go  and  ask  my 
mother."  Saying  this  he  threw  himself  at  his 
Guru's  feet  and  then  slowly  went  away. 

The  other  pupils  remained  silent  with  sorrow 
and  the  Guru  also  for  a  little  time  was  silent. 
At  last  he  said,  "My  children,  it  it  now  time  for 
you  to  go  and  beg  your  food."  The  boys  mak- 
ing an  obeisance  to  their  Guru  dispersed  in  all 
directions,  to  beg  from  the  village  food  for 
themselves  and  their  Guru.  Amongst  them 
there  were  the  sons  of  many  rich  and  influential 
men  but  all  of  them  begged  without  distinction. 


CHAPTER  III 

Utonka  then  went  to  his  teacher's  wife  who 
was  sitting  in  the  shade  of  a  tree  near  the  house 
weaving  grass  mats,  a  deer  was  lying  beside  her 
while  overhead  a  bird  was  making  a  loud  noise, 
"Tee  tee  u,  Tee  tee  u"  other  smaller  birds 
flying  about  without  a  care  and  drinking  water 
from  the  pools  under  the  Ashoka  trees.  It  really 
seemed  as  if  these  birds  and  beasts  were  one 
with  man. 

After  bowing  before  his  teacher's  wife,  Utonka 
said,  "Mother,  the  time  of  my  training  is 
finished  and  I  have,  by  the  help  of  Gurudev, 
become  a  Brahmachari.  I  have  gained  strength 
and  now  I   must  go  into  the  world.     Tell  me 


94  SHANTINIKETAN 

now,  Mother,  what  offering  I  can  make  you: 
for  Gurudev  told  me  to  ask  you." 

Quickly  putting  aside  her  weaving  his  teacher's 
wife  said  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  "What!  my  child, 
are  you  going  to  leave  us  ?  Yet  why  should  I  be 
sad  ?  Go  take  my  blessing  with  you.  How 
many  of  my  sons  have  one  after  another  gone 
away  like  this.  But  I  am  not  sorrowful;  for 
from  the  ashram  they  go  out  into  the  world  and 
benefit  it  by  their  work.  Can  any  one  spend  all 
his  life  in  the  seclusion  of  this  forest.?  But 
wherever  you  go  my  heart's  affection  and  bless- 
ing will  surround  you  all  your  life." 

Then  after  a  short  silence  she  said,  "What 
offering  shall  I  tell  you  to  bring.?  Though  we 
need  nothing,  we  must  observe  the  usual  cus- 
tom." Then  as  if  remembering  something  she 
said  with  a  slight  smile: 

'T  have  just  remembered  something.  The 
Queen  Shubashukla  is  famous  all  the  world  over. 
Even  the  gods  respect  her  virtue.  The  saints 
of  the  forests  sing  her  praises  and  even  a  hard 


SHANTINTKETAN  95 

stone  would  be  melted  by  the  love  of  her  gener- 
ous heart.  No  impure  person  is  allowed  to  look 
upon  her  face.  She  has  some  golden  ear-rings 
which  are  so  valuable  that  Takshat,  the  king  of 
the  serpents,  himself  wants  to  keep  them  in  his 
storehouse  in  the  nether  regions.  I  have  a  great 
desire  to  see  and  touch  those  ear-rings  just 
once,  and  I  would  like  to  wear  them  when  next 
I  entertain  the  Brahmins.  So  bring  me  those 
ear-rings  within  three  days  so  that  my  wish  may 
be  fulfilled.  You  are  a  Brahmachari  and  should 
have  no  difficulty." 

Utonka  was  delighted,  and  having  saluted  her 
he  determined  to  set  off  that  very  day  to  bring 
his  offering. 

When  he  had  gone,  the  Guru's  wife  sat  still 
and  began  to  think  to  herself:  "I  wonder  if  I 
have  done  right  to  send  my  child  Utonka  all 
alone  such  a  long  distance  to  bring  this  offering. 
But  why  should  I  be  afraid  ^  Let  him  see  the 
glory  of  a  virtuous  woman  before  he  enters  the 
world.     Why     should     one     be     afraid     for     a 


96  SHANTINIKETAN 

Brahmachari?"  As  she  thought  in  this  fashion, 
she  remembered  all  Utonka's  deep  devotion  and 
goodness,  and  she  began  to  feel  sad. 

By  this  time  the  other  boys  came  back,  bring- 
ing the  rice  and  other  food  they  had  begged — 
but  to-day  strange  to  say,  there  was  none  of  the 
chatter  and  happy  noise  which  there  was  on 
other  days.  The  Guru's  wife  seeing  the  boys 
looking  so  sad  went  up  to  them  and  asked  them 
the  cause.  They  all  cried,  "Utonka  is  going 
away."  Then  she  went  off  towards  the  kitchen 
consoling  them  as  she  went. 


^^x&:Ma    ' 


# 


.<d>. 


CHAPTER  IV 

Now  we  must  follow  Utonka  on  his  journey 
to  the  palace  of  King  Poshya,  the  husband  of  the 
famous  queen.  After  leaving  the  fields  near  the 
ashram  he  entered  a  thick  forest.  It  was 
then  midday,  and  the  forest  was  very  beautiful. 
Here  and  there  the  sun  pierced  through  the  dense 
shade  of  the  trees.  It  seemed  as  though  all  its 
rays  were  setting  up  ladders  of  light  and  were 
descending  like  thieves  to  steal  flowers  from  the 
dark  forest.  Birds  were  peeping- out  from  holes 
in  the  tree  trunks,  their  red  and  black  beaks 
looking  as  if  the  trees  had  put  on  red  and  black 
leaves.  In  some  places,  on  the  huge  trunks  of 
some  big  trees,  it  seemed  as  if  a  whole  village  of 


98  SHANTINIKETAN 

birds  were  situated  in  the  branches.  In  other 
places  rows  of  tall  palms  lifted  their  graceful 
heads  and  with  their  fronds  joined  together, 
like  the  wings  of  birds,  made  a  cool  darkness  in 
the  woods.  In  other  places,  through  breaks  in 
the  forest,  sparkling  chatim  trees  looked  up  to 
the  sky  holding  their  leaves  aloft  like  beautiful 
fingers.  Great  creepers  joined  tree  to  tree  like 
bridges,  and  in  some  places  seemed  to  have  pre- 
pared swings  for  the  spirits  of  the  wood  to  play 
in.  Utonka  saw  wild  boars,  some  of  them  dig- 
ging up  the  earth,  and  some  lying  in  holes.  Now 
and  then  he  saw  two  huge  curved  horns  appear 
behind  the  screen  of  distant  trees,  and  once  or 
twice  a  forest  deer  started  suddenly  from  right 
before  him.  Once  he  saw  on  the  branch  of  a 
tree  a  big  honeycomb  with  black  bees  buzzing 
round  it. 

After  some  time  Utonka  entered  a  large  open 
plain.  In  the  distance  the  scorching  sunlight 
was  flickering  like  tongues  of  fire.  The  sky 
was  deep  blue. 


SHANTINIKETAN  99 

Before  going  out  into  the  heat  of  the  sun 
Utonka  sat  down  to  rest  in  the  shade  at  the  edge 
of  the  forest.  Suddenly,  as  if  from  nowhere,  a 
huge  black  cow  appeared  in  the  middle  of  the 
plain.  How  wonderful!  Whence  could  it  have 
come?  Utonka  had  no  idea  that  there  was  such 
a  large  cow  anywhere  in  the  world,  and  he  rubbed 
his  eyes  to  make  sure  he  was  not  dreaming. 
When  he  had  stopped  rubbing  his  eyes  he  was 
still  more  astonished ;  for  on  the  back  of  the  cow 
there  was  now  a  tall  radiant  figure.  Utonka 
stood  up  in  his  astonishment. 

Perhaps  you  are  thinking  that  Utonka  ran 
away,  but  if  you  had  been  there  you  would 
certainly  have  stood  motionless  as  he  did  to  see 
that  huge  cow.  From  its  neck  hung  fold  upon 
fold  of  well  grown  dewlap  and  on  its  head  were 
two  shining  sharp  horns  of  great  length.  Its 
legs  were  covered  with  soft  white  hair  almost  to 
the  ankle  and  it  had  a  huge  tail  white  in  colour 
and  gradually  tapering  till  it  almost  touched  the 
ground. 


loo  SHANTINIKETAN 

It  seemed  as  if  light  was  coming  from  its 
broad  black  forehead.  On  its  back  was  a  strong 
man  with  shining  bare  body.  So  enchanting 
was  the  beauty  of  this  sight,  that  Utonka  stood 
overwhelmed  with  wonder  and  astonishment. 

As  he  stood  looking  at  the  cow  it  seemed  as 
if,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  it  came  right  up  to 
him  from  the  place  where  it  had  been  standing 
without  apparently  moving  its  limbs.  In  great 
astonishment  Utonka  looked  up  at  it  and  saw 
two  large  black  and  lustrous  eyes  gazing  at 
him.  On  seeing  those  eyes  the  whole  of 
Utonka's  body  felt  a  pleasant  coolness  like  that 
which  one  feels  on  drinking  very  cool  water. 
Raising  his  face  a  little  Utonka  saw  two 
bright  eyes  looking  at  him  from  a  face  wreathed 
in  smiles.  As  he  looked  into  those  eyes  he 
heard,  as  though  in  a  dream,  a  voice  say  to  him, 
"My  child,  drink  some  of  the  milk  of  this  cow; 
for  your  Guru  also  has  done  so."  Utonka  then 
bent  down  to  drink  and,  as  he  drank,  it  tasted 
to  him  like  nectar. 


SHANTINIKETAN  loi 

But  when  he  hfted  his  head  after  drinking  he 
discovered  that  the  cow  and  its  rider  had  dis- 
appeared and  there  was  no  sign  of  their  having 
been  there  at  all.  The  plain  was  flooded  with 
the  blazing  sun-light.  Near  by  was  the  dense 
forest  with  its  shade  and  from  it  the  sound  of 
birds  and  bees  could  be  heard.  Squirrels  with 
their  pretty  striped  bodies  were  running  out 
into  the  open  from  the  shelter  of  the  woods  and 
they  would  then  peep  round  and,  starting  sud- 
denly, run  back  into  the  safety  of  the  forest. 

Utonka  feeling  much  astonished  said  to  him- 
self, "Was  it  then  all  a  dream?  Have  I  been 
asleep.^  It  will  never  do  for  me  to  fall  asleep 
like  this  and  dream  on  my  journey.  I  have  to 
bring  back  that  offering.  I  wonder  how  far 
I  am  from  the  king's  palace.^" 

Thus  thinking  to  himself  he  set  off  at  a  great 
pace,  but  all  the  time  he  kept  saying,  "What 
have  I  seen?  Has  some  god  shown  himself 
to    me?"       And     as    he     questioned    thus    he 


102 


S  H ANTI NI  KETAN 


imperceptibly  began  to  slacken  his  pace.  When, 
however,  he  remembered  the  offering  he  hastened 
on  again. 


-^•^  «^v. 


CHAPTER  V 

Utonka  arrived  at  the  palace  of  king  Poshya 
in  the  evening  and  thought  he  would  try  to  get 
the  ear-rings  and  return  the  same  night.  So 
without  any  delay  he  went  straight  to  the  king 
and  told  him  what  he  wanted.  The  king,  after 
saluting  him  with  deep  respect  and  giving  him 
water  for  his  tired  feet,  asked  him  first  to  wash 
his  hands  and  mouth  and  rest  a  little.  "Why 
are  you  in  a  hurry.?"  he  said.  "You  can  get 
what  you  want  by  going  yourself  to  the  inner 
apartments  of  the  Queen." 

Utonka  replied,  "Oh,  king,  may  you  live  long 
and  prosper.  I  wanted  to  return  with  the  ear- 
rings this  very  night,  but  if  that  is  not  possible, 
let  me  at  least  ask  for  them  at  once.  For  so 
long  as  I  am  in  doubt  I  shall  have  no  peace  of 
mmd. 


104  SHANTINIKETAN 

The  king  laughed  slightly  and  said:  "Very 
well.  Go  into  the  palace.  The  doorkeeper 
will  show  you  the  way.  I  myself  am  going  to 
my  evening  worship  and  cannot  come  with 
you."  Saying  this  the  king  bowed  low  to 
Utonka  and  turned  away.  Utonka  was  over- 
joyed and  raising  his  two  hands  in  blessing 
turned  to  follow  the  doorkeeper  into  the  inner 
apartments. 

In  every  room  of  the  palace  lamps  were 
twinkling  in  the  dusk  of  evening.  On  the  altar, 
in  the  fire  temple,  was  seated  the  fire  god  wearing 
a  glowing  crown  of  flame,  while  chanting  was 
heard  to  the  accompaniment  of  the  evening 
bells.  On  entering  the  inner  palace  Utonka 
saw  a  large  Bokul  tree  in  a  courtyard  round 
which  the  darkness  was  gathering, — on  all  sides 
from  the  windows  of  the  palace  the  light  of 
lamps  was  falling  and  making  the  leaves  seem 
black  and  shining  in  the  distance.  At  the 
foot  of  this  tree  a  large  cow  was  standing,  its 
body  a  beautiful  pale  red,  looking  dark  in  the 


S  H  A  N  T  I  N  I  K  E  T  A  N         105 

evening  gloom.  On  her  forehead  was  a  white 
crescent  moon  and  the  white  dust  near  her  feet 
looked  very  beautiful.  From  the  body  of  the 
cow  came  a  sweet  scent  which  seemed  to  fill  the 
air  with  peace,  while  in  front  were  seated  several 
girls  dressed  in  red  silk  and  burning  incense  by 
the  light  of  lamps. 

In  one  of  the  rooms  the  doorkeeper  stopped 
and  said:  "Brahmachari,  wait  a  little  in  this 
room,  while  I  go  to  call  the  Queen.  She  will 
make  her  obeisance  to  you  in  the  next  room." 
Saying  which,  the  doorkeeper  went  towards  the 
cow,  while  Utonka  sat  down  and  waited. 

As  he  was  waiting  it  seemed  to  Utonka  that 
there  was  on  all  sides  a  calm  and  blessed 
peace  pervading  the  atmosphere.  He  saw  the 
Queen's  attendants  moving  about  in  the  court- 
yard from  place  to  place  with  lamps  in  their 
hands  and  dressed  in  red  silk.  By  the  light  of 
the  lamps  their  faces  appeared  bright  and  beauti- 
ful, full  of  joy  and  peace.  At  last  the  door- 
keeper came  and  called  him.     Utonka,  following 


io6  SHANTINIKETAN 

slowly,  entered  a  room  in  the  middle  of  which 
a  clear  bright  light  was  burning.  A  soft  scent 
came  from  the  sweet  smelling  oil.  On  all  sides 
incense  was  rising — but  in  the  room  itself  there 
was  nothing;    it  was  absolutely  empty. 

When  he  entered,  Utonka  could  see  no  one, 
but  the  doorkeeper  pointed  to  a  seat  inlaid  with 
mother-of-pearl  for  him  to  sit  on.  As  he  took 
his  seat  he  asked  the  doorkeeper,  "Has  the 
queen  not  come  yet?" 

The  doorkeeper  replied  with  evident  astonish- 
ment, "Why  there  she  is  sitting  on  that  shell- 
covered  seat  wearing  a  red  dress.  Can't  you 
see  her.^" 

Although  Utonka  looked  hard  he  could  see 
nothing  whatever,  and  he  exclaimed,  "What  do 
you  say?  Are  you  joking  with  me?  Where 
is  the  queen  sitting?     I  can  see  nothing." 

The  old  doorkeeper  laughed  and  said, 
"Brahmachari,  do  not  be  angry  with  me;  but 
you  must,  I  suppose,  be  impure  and  that  is  why 
you  cannot  see  the  Queen." 


SHANTINIKETAN         107 

Then  the  Brahmachari  recollected  his  vision 
at  the  edge  of  the  forest  and  said  to  himself, 
"Then  that  was  not  really  a  dream  after  all. 
Everything  was  real  and  because  I  have  not 
washed  my  mouth  after  drinking  that  milk, 
therefore  I  am  impure  and  cannot  see  the  queen. 
But  I  thought  the  whole  thing  was  a  dream. 
How  wonderful  the  glory  of  this  queen  must  be." 

So  Utonka  rose  quickly  and  went  away  to 
wash.  Having  washed  his  hands  and  mouth 
the  Brahmachari  returned  and  the  glory  of  the 
Queen  was  revealed  to  him.  She  was  seated  on 
a  seat  which  was  decorated  with  exquisite 
pearls.  Her  dress  was  made  of  red  silk.  Her 
face  was  so  radiant  that  the  very  gold  of  her 
ear-rings  appeared  dull  in  comparison,  and  the 
beauty  of  her  smile  was  like  a  flower  or  a  star. 
Gazing  at  her  it  seemed  to  Utonka  that  his  brow 
had  been  cooled  with  dewdrops  and  he  was  not 
able  to  take  his  eyes  off  her.  He  thought  that 
the  palace  in  which  such  a  woman  lived  must 
indeed  be  a  habitation  fit  for  the  gods. 


io8  SHANTINIKETAN 

Meanwhile  the  Queen  had  come  down  from 
her  seat  and  was  makingher  obeisance  toUtonka. 
Just  as  blossoms  are  shaken  from  the  Shal  tree 
by  passing  breezes,  so  it  seemed  as  if  blessings 
were  showered  from  Utonka's  heart.  He  said, 
"May  eternal  good  fortune  attend  you.  Mother, 
I  request  one  gift  from  your  generous  hands. 
Give  me  your  ear-rings."  Queen  Shubashukla 
laughing  gently,  removed  the  ear-rings  with  a 
graceful  gesture,  bending  her  head  as  she  did  so. 
Just  then,  a  companion  of  the  queen  entered  the 
room  with  a  tray  on  which  were  honey,  curds, 
sandal  paste,  paddy  and  a  cluster  of  Bokul 
leaves.*  The  Queen  taking  this  tray  from  her 
companion's  hands  placed  the  two  ear-rings  on 
it  and  laid  it  at  the  feet  of  Utonka  making  an 
obeisance  as  she  did  so.  Utonka  accepting  the 
offering  lifted  up  the  two  ear-rings  to  look  at 
them.  Then  the  Queen  said  in  a  sweet  voice, 
"Brahmachari,  take  care  of  them,  for  the  king 


These  are  given  as  a  sign  of  respect  to  an  honoured  guest. 


SH  ANTINI  K  ETAN         in 

of  the  snakes  has  shown  a  great  desire  to  pos- 
sess them." 

"Very  well,"  said  Utonka  as  he  stood  up  and 
blessed  the  Queen.  "May  peace  be  with  you 
and  waft  its  unseen  breezes  to  cool  your  heart." 

Full  of  joy  Utonka  left  the  inner  apartments 
with  the  doorkeeper,  whereupon  Shubashukla 
embracing  her  companion  said  laughing,  "To- 
day my  companion  I  am  very  happy;  for  by 
giving  these  worthless  gold  ear-rings  to  this 
Brahmachari  I  have  been  made  holier."  At 
which  her  companion  laughed  and  said,  "We 
also  share  your  happiness,  but  I  hope  that 
Takshat  will  not  cause  any  trouble  to  him  on 
the  road." 

Shubashukla  replied:  "Even  if  any  accident 
happens,  who  would  hurt  the  Brahmachari? 
The  gods  would  conspire  together  to  return  the 
ear-rings  to  him,  if  they  were  lost  or  stolen." 

In  the  meantime  Utonka,  taking  the  ear-rings 
with  him,  wondered,  as  he  went  out,  at  the 
beauty  and  grace  of  the  palace.     On  his  way  he 


112  SHANTINIKETAN 

met  the  king  who  was  returning  from  his  evening 
prayers  carrying  some  flowers  in  his  hands. 
Seeing  the  Brahmachari  he  greeted  him  by 
scattering  flowers  over  him. 

Utonka  addressing  him  said:  "My  prayer, 
oh  king,  has  been  granted.  I  have  obtained  the 
gift  and  must  now  bid  farewell." 

The  king  replied:  "But  I  cannot  bid  farewell 
so  soon.  Stay  at  least  to-night."  So  Utonka 
stayed  that  night  in  the  palace. 

All  the  noise  of  birds  and  beasts  and  men 
was  stilled  and  in  the  depth  of  the  night  Utonka 
began  to  think  about  the  splendour  of  the  royal 
palace.  It  seemed  to  him  that  heavenly  mes- 
sengers were  descending  through  the  moon- 
ligh  and  were  standing  all  round  the  palace 
singing  sacred  chants  in  soft  tones.  Then 
again  he  remembered  with  wonder  his  vision 
of  that  cow.  Then  his  mind  turned  to  thoughts 
of  his  Guru's  wife  and  of  his  fellow  students  all 
of  whom  he  was  so  soon  to  leave.  All  the 
hundreds  of  events  that  had  happened  to  him 


SHANTINIKETAN 


113 


since  his  childhood  in  the  ashram  came  before 
him  and  so  he  kept  on  thinking  till  it  struck 
midnight.  Then  keeping  tight  hold  of  the  ear- 
rings, and  uttering  the  name  of  his  Guru, 
Utonka  turned  over  and  went  to  sleep. 


>V*    'A' 


CHAPTER  VI 

In  the  fields  there  is  neither  man  nor  beast. 
Overhead  is  the  intense  burning  sun.  But  a 
strong  wind  has  sprung  up  and  is  raising  a  white 
dust  in  the  eyes  of  the  sun.  Look  in  the  distance 
and  you  will  see  that  all  the  leaves  and  branches 
of  the  forest  are  dancing  like  mad  elephants 
striking  their  trunks  against  each  other's  bodies, 
while  all  the  time  a  hissing  panting  sound  can 
be  heard.  Along  the  fields  storms  of  dust,  like 
hordes  of  white  frenzied  ghosts,  are  tearing 
along,  sometimes  turning  round  and  round  and 
sometimes  rising  high  in  gigantic  forms. 

There  seems  to  be  not  a  cloud  in  the  sky. 
Only  under  those  trees  the  sky  in  the  distance 
is  dark  and  lowering  and  all  the  time  the  mad 
breeze  blows  strongly. 


SH  ANTI  NI  K  ETAN         115 

Who  is  this  who  speeds  along  with  scarf  flying 
in  the  wind,  Hke  the  wings  of  a  bird  as  it  strug- 
gles for  its  life  with  all  its  might  against  the 
storm?  Who  but  our  Utonka  returning  to  the 
ashram  with  the  ear-rings? 

Utonka  having  left  the  open  fields  is  taking 
shelter  behind  a  tree.  Take  care,  Utonka,  be 
careful  of  your  precious  ear-rings!  For  this  is 
the  very  field  where  that  mysterious  cow  ap- 
peared to  you  and  made  you  drink  its  milk- 
all  sorts  of  unearthly  things  happen  here.  It 
seemed  as  though  Utonka  realised  his  danger; 
for  he  sat  down  carefully  and  said,  "I  will  see 
whether  I  can  discover  the  meaning  of  what 
happened  to  me  yesterday." 

For  a  long  time  he  looked  steadfastly  in  the 
direction  of  the  dusty  field  but  he  could  see 
nothing.  On  looking  behind  him  however  he 
saw  a  curious  sight.  He  saw,  at  a  height  of  two 
or  three  feet  from  the  ground,  a  tall  beggar  with 
shaven  head,  ugly  and  almost  naked,  coming 
towards  him.     His  face  was  clean  shaven  and 


ii6  S  H  ANTI  NI  K  ET  AN 

his  cheeks  wrinkled,  while  on  his  forehead  were 
three  or  four  dreadful  black  lines,  and  as  he 
approached  he  kept  making  hideous  grimaces. 
Crouching  down,  he  beat  his  hands  all  the  time 
against  his  hollow  sides.  It  almost  seemed  as 
if  a  dust-storm,  vexed  by  the  wind  was  trying 
to  drag  this  object  along  in  its  clutches. 

Utonka  began  to  wonder  whatever  was  the 
matter,  but  at  that  very  moment  the  beggar 
disappeared.  Utonka  burst  out  laughing  at 
having  been  deceived  by  such  a  curious  image 
and  illusion.  But  he  was  again  surprised 
when  that  half-naked,  shaven-headed  image 
appeared  floating  in  the  sky,  only  to  disappear 
again  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye. 

Utonka  laughed  to  himself  and  thought: 
"The  next  time  the  beggar  comes,  he  will  stand 
right  on  my  head  and  I  shall  be  able  to  make 
Mr.  Juggler  a  captive."  Laughing  at  this 
thought  Utonka  stood  up  suddenly,  but  the 
beggar  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  Instead, 
Utonka  saw  the  powerful  Takshat  emerge  sud- 
denly like  a  flash  of  lightning  from  a  hole  five 


SHANTINIKETAN         117 

feet  away.  Darting  to  Utonka's  feet  he  seized 
the  box  containing  the  ear-rings  and  leapt  back 
into  the  hole. 

When  Utonka  realized  the  clever  cunning  of 
the  wicked  serpent  king,  he  fell  into  a  frenzy  of 
despair.  But  when  he  had  managed  to  calm 
his  mind,  he  began  to  pray  to  Indra  saying, 
"Oh,  mighty  Indra,  whose  thunderbolt  can 
shatter  a  rock  to  atoms  and  can  burn  the  whole 
world  to  ashes,  now  help  this  poor  helpless 
Brahmachari.  Oh,  Indra,  whose  clouds  afford 
a  grateful  shade  to  the  hot  and  weary  traveller 
and  give  water  to  the  thirsty,  and  abundant 
crops  to  your  worshippers,  help  this  poor  and 
helpless  Brahmachari." 

Looking  up  to  heaven  Utonka  prayed  thus 
with  folded  hands,  and  as  he  gazed  into  the  sky 
a  cloud  descended  and  floated  just  above  his 
head.  A  little  later  Utonka  felt  a  gentle  rain 
falling  and  then  a  rainbow  appeared,  and  from 
one  side  of  the  cloud  to  the  other  bright  flashes 
sparkled   and   danced.     Utonka   saw   some  one 


ii8  S  H  ANTI  NI  K  ET  AN 

sitting  in  the  middle  of  that  dark  cloud  who 
encouraged  him  with  loving  smiles.  He  gazed 
steadfastly  and,  as  he  gazed,  the  cloud  de- 
scended still  lower  with  a  gentle  patter  of  rain, 
and  at  last,  drenching  Utonka  with  its  dew,  it 
entered  the  earth.  The  ground  opened  as 
though  struck  by  a  thunder-bolt.  Sitting  on  the 
rainbow,  in  the  middle  of  that  dark  cloud, 
Utonka  descended  into  the  nether  regions.  As 
he  entered  the  womb  of  the  earth  he  saw  sus- 
pended on  all  sides  of  his  cloudy  chariot  the 
tops  of  many  sweet-scented  trees  with  crowds 
of  bright  coloured  insects  fluttering  in  their 
branches.  Seated  on  the  cloud  he  felt  a  pleasing 
coolness  until  suddenly  he  ceased  to  move. 


CHAPTER  VII 

The  nether  regions  are  merely  a  pleasing  fancy 
of  the  poets.  For  the  nourishment  of  a  tree,  air 
and  light  are  needed  outside,  while  inside  is 
needed  the  cool  sap  drawn  from  the  dark  regions 
underground.  So,  also,  this  vast  earth  needs 
sap,  as  the  tree  does,  to  give  it  strength. 

When  the  minds  and  imaginations  of  the  poets 
were  filled  with  the  beauty,  immensity  and  power 
of  the  world  and  the  stars  and  planets,  then  in 
the  joy  of  that  power  and  energy  they  tried  to 
express  the  rhythmic  movement  of  the  spirit  of 
the  universe  and  the  idea  of  this  inner  energy 
in  many  varied  images. 

The  nether  regions  were  to  them  a  bottomless 
storehouse  from  which  the  world,  standing  like 


120  SHANTINIKETAN 

a  huge  branching  tree,  draws  its  nourishment. 
Just  as  the  roots  of  a  tree  are  in  the  ground, 
from  which  it  draws  cool  sap,  so  the  roots  of  the 
world  descend  into  the  lower  regions.  That 
energy  which  you  see  expressed  in  the  world  in 
light  and  in  flashes  of  lightning  has  also  been 
gathered  up  and  stored  in  the  hidden  chambers 
of  the  nether  regions.  And  those  changing 
pictures  of  the  seasons  which  you  see  as  the 
years  pass  over  the  world  are  but  the  reflection 
of  original  paintings  which  are  there  also;  while 
the  ever  new  days  and  nights  in  the  world  are 
but  the  play  of  a  power  hidden  there. 

In  this  storehouse  many  wonderful  things  are 
kept.  Therefore  these  regions  are  full  of  terror. 
No  one  dare  enter  them  alone.  Fearful  serpents 
go  round  and  round  hissing  fiercely, — sentinels 
keep  guard  over  great  heaps  of  jewels  and  pearls. 
Over  these  there  always  hangs  a  thick  gloomy 
haze  like  a  cloud,  from  which  every  now 
and  then  in  the  stillness  there  darts  a  sudden 
flash  of  lightning.     Here  the  wind  blows  keenly 


SHANTINIKETAN  121 

and  is  not  restless  like  our  breezes.  It  blows 
silently  and  constantly  with  a  piercing  chill. 
Deep  echoes  like  thousands  of  conch  shells 
blown  together  sound  on  all  sides. 

Arriving  at  the  entrance  to  these  regions 
Utonka  heard,  as  he  came  to  a  standstill,  a 
sound  like  the  roar  of  the  mighty  sea.  He 
was  astounded  and  you  can  understand  how 
alert  his  mind  was  at  that  moment.  The  dark- 
ness and  that  roaring  sound  filled  his  mind  with 
fear  and  doubt,  but  after  remaining  for  a  long 
time  motionless  with  fear  he  began  to  concen- 
trate his  mind  and  sat  down  to  meditate  on 
Indra. 

You  must  remember  that  if  you  have  the 
power  of  deep  concentration  and  can  meditate, 
you  can  realize  God's  presence  at  any  time;  for 
He  is  present  at  all  times  and  in  all  places. 
Utonka  was  a  true  Brahmachari  so  he  had 
acquired  considerable  power  of  concentration. 
While  he  was  plunged  in  deep  meditation  a 
dreadful  sound  pierced  the  darkness  a  little  to 


122  SHANTINIKETAN 

Utonka's  right,  as  if  the  Hght  of  a  flaming  fire 
had  suddenly  been  revealed  and  with  a  solemn 
note  a  sweet  voice  sounded  in  his  ear  saying, 
"Utonka,  enter  this  room." 

As  Utonka  got  up  he  saw  a  bright  and  beauti- 
ful flaming  light  and  he  started  with  surprise. 
Then  his  mind  was  filled  with  intense  joy. 
Often  in  the  darkness  of  the  night-time  he  had 
risen  to  adore  the  blazing  fire;  and  to-day  in 
the  darkness  of  the  nether  regions  his  life  had 
in  a  moment  become  full  of  power  through  the 
radiance  of  this  great  blazing  light. 

Utonka  began  to  advance  towards  this  light 
uttering  a  chant  of  adoration  as  he  did  so.  But 
on  getting  closer  to  it  he  found  that  it  was  not 
a  fire  at  all  but  a  huge  golden  door  that  shone 
with  intense  brightness.  He  thought  with  a 
certain  amount  of  shame,  "Alas  I  have  been 
worshipping  a  mere  door  of  gold  as  if  it  were 
fire.  But  perhaps  I  shall  find  the  god  of  fire 
within  this  room."  Then  he  approached  the 
door  and  no  sooner  had  he  touched  it  than  it 


SHANTINIKETAN         123 

was  blown  open  by  a  strong  gust  of  wind.  On 
entering  he  saw  a  wonderful  sight.  A  huge 
room  filled  with  white  light  in  the  middle  of 
which,  glowing  like  a  blazing  fire,  stood  a 
horse  with  large  wide  open  eyes.  By  its  side  a 
strong  man  was  standing,  while,  surrounding  it 
on  all  sides  were  six  beautifully  dressed  boys 
dancing  wildly  and  every  moment  throwing  off 
one  dress  and  putting  on  a  new  one.  Sitting  a 
little  distance  away  were  two  exquisitely  beauti- 
ful damsels  on  golden  thrones  busily  weaving 
cloth  upon  a  loom  with  threads  of  two  colours, 
one  bright  like  the  golden  colour  of  their  bodies, 
the  other  jet  black  like  their  hair.  They  were 
every  moment  throwing  the  cloth  on  to  the 
bodies  of  the  boys  who,  laughing  merrily,  kept 
picking  up  this  cloth  and  putting  it  on.  On  one 
side  two  guards  were  standing  motionless. 

Utonka  became  more  and  more  astonished 
as  he  looked  upon  this  scene.  These  two  guards 
seemed  so  strong  that  it  looked  as  if  they  could 
easily    overpower    that    radiant    horse    of   fire. 


124  SHANTINIKETAN 

Their  bodies  were  so  upright  and  full  of  energy 
and  their  arms  were  so  straight  that  it  seemed 
as  if  they  could  at  any  moment  overcome  the 
most  powerful  lion  and  yet  from  the  look  on 
their  faces  they  appeared  to  be  tranquil  and 
smiling  angels. 

Utonka  now  turned  to  look  at  the  man  who 
was  standing  beside  the  horse.  On  examining 
him  closely  he  recognised  him  as  the  same  man 
who  had  shown  himself  seated  on  the  cow  which 
had  appeared  to  him  on  the  plain.  Then  the 
man  said  with  a  gentle  smile,  "My  child  take 
this  horse  outside,  breathe  once  in  his  nostrils 
and  you  will  get  back  the  ear-rings."  Utonka 
stupified  with  wonder  took  the  horse  out  and  in 
accordance  with  the  man's  command  he  blew 
strongly  in  the  horse's  nostrils.  As  he  did  so 
the  hair  of  the  horse's  body  stood  on  end  and 
gradually  from  every  hair  fire  came  out.  With- 
out any  sound  the  fire  consumed  the  whole  of 
the  nether  regions  in  a  moment  of  time  so  that 


SHANTINIKETAN         125 

there  was  not  a  trace  of  them  left.  But  curi- 
ously enough  the  fire  did  not  touch  Utonka's 
body  at  all.  He  called  out  in  a  loud  voice 
"Now  my  worship  of  the  fire  has  borne  some 
fruit.  Oh,  powerful  Fire,  I  salute  thee.  Oh, 
beautiful  Fire,  I  salute  thee.  Oh,  mighty  Fire, 
take  me  in  a  golden  chariot  to  the  foundations  of 
the  earth.  Oh,  god  of  Fire,  now  I  understand 
that  it  is  your  throne  that  is  spread  in  these 
mysterious  lower  regions  and  to  thee,  oh  glori- 
ous one,  I  bow." 

After  this  joyful  salutation  Utonka  looked  in 
front  of  him,  his  face  bright  with  the  rays  of  the 
brilliant  fire  which  spread  on  all  sides,  quiver- 
ing and  scarlet  like  the  blossoms  of  a  Dhah  tree. 
There  in  front  of  him  he  sawTakshat  who,  driven 
mad  by  the  dreadful  heat  of  the  flames,  was  in 
full  retreat,  having  thrown  down  in  his  haste 
those  ear-rings  which  lay  like  golden  flowers  at 
Utonka's  feet.  As  soon  as  he  had  disappeared 
the  fire  gathered  itself  together  and  entered  the 
horse's  body  again. 


126  SHANTINIKETAN 

Utonka  having  picked  up  the  ear-rings  was 
about  to  say  something  when  he  suddenly 
reahsed  that  the  whole  vision  had  vanished. 
He  saw  on  all  sides  of  him  the  fresh  sunshine  of 
dawning  day  falling  through  the  trees,  the  dew  on 
the  leaves  was  not  yet  dry,  the  birds  were  sing- 
ing, while  in  front  of  him  was  flowing  the  very 
stream  which  passed  the  ashram  of  his  Guru. 

For  some  time  Utonka  remained  motionless 
with  wonder  and  astonishment,  but  at  last  he 
stood  up  laughing  and  exclaimed  "Ugh!  I  have 
been  dreaming  again."  Then  meditatively  and 
with  eyes  half  closed  he  went  slowly  towards 
the  ashram. 

As  he  approached  he  saw  that  many  Brahmin 
guests  were  seated  in  a  circle,  their  faces  radiant 
with  joy,  while  his  Guru  Ved  was  in  the  centre. 
They  all  looked  with  veneration  to  the  place 
where  the  Guru's  wife  was  seated.  She  was 
expressing  some  anxiety  because  of  Utonka's 
delay,   "Everyone  has  come,"  she  was  saying; 


S  H  ANT  I  N  I  K  KT  A  N  127 

"but  why  is  Utonka  so  late?  Can  some  acci- 
dent have  happened  to  him  on  the  way?"  To 
this  Ved  rephed  at  once,  "Do  not  be  anxious  for 
he  will  be  here  immediately."  Even  as  he  spoke 
Utonka  appeared  from  behind  a  screen  of  jas- 
mine flowers  and  at  the  same  moment  the  eyes 
of  both  the  Guru  and  his  wife  met  his  own. 

All  were  delighted  as  Utonka  first  of  all  did 
obeisance  to  his  Guru  and  his  Guru's  wife  laying 
the  precious  ear-rings  at  their  feet.  Then  he 
saluted  the  rest  of  the  company.  The  woman's 
eyes  filled  with  tears  of  joy  as  she  took  the  ear- 
rings, then  she  went  towards  the  house  looking 
at  them  as  she  went. 

After  receiving  the  Guru's  blessing  Utonka 
stood  quietly  at  one  side  of  the  assembly.  Then 
he  began  to  speak,  saying,  "Gurudev,  to-day  I 
have  tasted  of  the  limitless  energy  of  the  world. 
My  discipline  has  borne  fruit.  Plunging  into 
the  nether  regions  I  have  seen  the  beauty  of  day 
and  night,  the  restless  dancing  of  the  six  seasons, 


128  SHANTINIKETAN 

and  all  the  imperishable  forms  of  beauty  in  this 
world.  The  god  of  Fire  has  set  his  seal  upon  me 
and  the  glory  of  the  hidden  fire  has  filled  my 
mind  with  wonder.  Indra  has  taken  up  his 
abode  on  the  throne  of  my  heart.  My  life  in  the 
world  will  now  be  successful.  Gurudev,  I  pray 
that  your  blessing  may  be  a  constant  benediction 
and  help  to  me." 

Having  said  this  Utonka  came  and  sat  at  his 
Guru's  feet  and  asked  for  permission  to  depart. 
His  Guru  Ved  gave  an  affectionate  farewell 
blessing,  saying,  "My  son,  may  your  mind  al- 
ways be  happy,  and  may  your  work  in  the  world 
be  fruitful.  May  nobility  of  purpose,  like  a 
flower,  blossom  in  your  heart.  May  all  my 
pupils  be  able,  like  you,  to  accomplish  their 
noble  purposes." 

;  /  r  f     I'  '/  \i  V  V  \\r\i^y  >.  r\y^  Mil 


CONCLUSION 

At  last  our  story  is  finished.  Need  we  say 
any  more  about  that  constant  nobiUty  of  purpose 
which  blossomed  in  the  heart  of  our  Utonka? 

My  prayer  is  that  you  also  may  learn  to  ap- 
preciate the  deeper  mysteries  of  this  universe, 
that  you  may  be  able  to  admire  the  beauty  of  a 
pure  and  noble  life  and  treasure  at  all  times  the 
blessing  of  your  teachers. 

May  their  blessing,  uniting  with  the  clouds, 
fall  upon  you  like  gentle  rain.  Mingling  with 
the  sunlight  every  day  at  dawn  may  it  manifest 
itself  to  your  eyes.     Breathing  in  the  wind  may 


I30  SHANTINIKETAN 

it  bring  deep  peace  into  your  hearts.  May  your 
minds  be  happy  and  filled  with  the  joy  and 
energy  of  the  universe.  May  your  lives  in  the 
world  be  fruitful, — may  nobility  of  purpose  ever 
blossom  in  your  hearts.  May  you  also  be  strong, 
fearless  and  pure;  and  may  you  accomplish 
your  spiritual  destiny  by  devoting  yourselves 
to  God. 

Om,    Shanti,    Shanti,     Shanti.      Om,    Peace, 
Peace.  Peace. 


•*   * 


•'""aiw.,. 


4      *     i    A 


The  following  pages  contain  advertisements 
of  Macmillan    books    by    the    same    author 


THE   WORKS   OF   RABINURANATH   TA(;ORE 

Bolpiir  Edition 

The  Hungry  Stones  an<l  Other  Stories. 

Fruit-Gathering. 

Chitra :     A  Play  in  one  act. 

The  Crescent  Moon  :     ("hild  Poems. 

The  Gardener  :     Love  Poems. 

Gitanjali :     Religious  Poems. 

The  King  of  the  Dark  Chamber :     A  Play. 

The  Songs  of  Kabir. 

Sadhana  :     The  Realization  of  Life. 

The  Post  Office  :     A  Play. 

Each  volume  decorated  cloth,  SI. 50:  leather,  $2.00 

This  new  edition  of  the  works  of  Rabindranath  Tagore 
will  recommend  itself  to  those  who  desire  to  possess  the 
various  poems  and  plays  of  the  great  Hindu  writer  in  the 
best  possible  printing  and  bindings,  (ireat  care  has  been 
taken  with  the  physical  appearance  of  the  book.  In 
addition  to  the  special  design  that  has  been  made  for 
the  cover,  there  are  special  end  papers  and  decorated 
title  pages  in  each  book.  Altogether  this  edition  promises 
to  become  the  standard  one  of  this  distinguished  poet 
and  seer. 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

Publishers  64-66  Fifth  Avenue  New  York 


SIR  RABINDRANATH  TAGORE'S  NEW  BOOK 

Stray  Birds 

FRONTISPIECE  AND   DECORATIONS   BY 
WILLY   POGANY 

SL50 

Written  during  his  present  visit  to  America,  this  book 
may  be  said  to  contain  the  essence  of  all  Tagore's 
poetry  and  philosophy,  revealed  by  many  aphorisms 
epigrams  and   sayings. 

Here  is  the  kernel  of  the  wisdom  and  insight  of  the 
great  Hindu  seer  in  the  form  of  short  extracts.  These 
sayings  are  the  essence  of  his  Eastern  message  to  the 
Western  world.  The  frontispiece  and  decorations  by 
Willy  Pogany  are  beautiful  in  themselves,  and  enhance 
the  spiritual  significance  of  this  extraordinary  book. 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

Publishers  64-66  Fifth  Avenue  New  York 


RABIfsDRANA IH  TAGOilE'S  iNEW   I'OEMS 

Fruit  Gathering 

$1.25 

Perhaps  of  all  of  Tagore's  poetry  the  most  popular 
volume  is  "Gitanjali."  It  was  on  on  this  work  that  he 
was  awarded  the  Nobel  Prize  in  Literature.  These  facts 
lend  special  interest  to  the  announcement  of  this  book, 
which  is  a  sequel  to  that  collection  of  religious  "Song 
Offerings."  Since  the  issue  of  his  first  book,  some  four 
years  ago,  Tagore  has  rapidly  grown  in  popularity  in 
this  country,  until  now  he  must  be  counted  among  the 
most  widely  read  of  modern  poets.  Another  volume  of 
the  merit,  the  originality,  the  fine  spiritual  feeling  of 
"Gitanjali"  would  even  further  endear  him  to  his  thou- 
sands of  American  admirers. 


THE   MACMILLAN   COMPANY 

Plblisheks  64-66  Fifth  Avenue  New  York 


RABINDRAINATH     TAGORE'S     NEW    BOOK 

The  Hungry  Stones  and 
Other  Stories 

$1.35 

Some  of  the  more  notable  of  Mr.  Tagore's  short  stories 
are  here  presented  in  translations  by  the  author  and  with 
illustrations  by  native  Indian  artists.  Ernest  Rhvs.  in  his 
biography  of  Tagore,  devotes  much  space  to  a  considera- 
tion of  him  as  a  short  story  writer,  advancing  the  opinion 
that  this  particular  form  of  literature  is  one  of  the  most 
important  expressions  of  Tagore's  genius.  Now  for  the 
first  time  English  readers  are  given  the  opportunity  of 
acquainting  themselves  with  this  new  Tagore  and  of 
forming  their  own  estimate  of  him.  None  of  the  mate- 
rial in  this  volume  has  ever  appeared  before  in   English. 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 
PiipusHf;^g  64-^6  EiFTH  Avenue  New  York 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


JUL  11 


^  i^'  i^"*.,* 


^^^^mm 


^^ 


i^isk 


'1  .... 


to-     APRl^'^^^ 


URL 


ID 


KEC'D  LD-Uii. 


r    i       1    P.t97l 


wv^afSi. 


WQki 


m  s 


.08 


Form  L9-30m-7,'56(C824s4)444 


I  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA-LOS  ANGELES 


L  007  68 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA    000  356  167    7 


